The Path Ahead
by TheGreatFox2000
Summary: Part II of the Second War Trilogy. An accident happens that leaves Harry and Hermione stranded where they least expect it. HHr pairing. Rated R for sexual content & graphic violence. Flames welcome, I need something to cook my burgers on :) (COMPLETE)
1. A Reunion

Welcome back everyone. What a strange week it has been. My 17th birthday was last Friday (the 28th), and to be quite honest, while I was sleeping at my friend's house that night (party), I came up with some ideas which I thought were rather ingenious ::strokes goatee::, one of which, causes an effect which makes it impossible to finish the storyline I started in The Times are Changing in this story.   
  
THEREFORE, I have decided, instead of making this the sequel/conclusion to The Times are Changing, to make this Part II in the Second War trilogy.   
  
No, you are not privy to the cause of that decision, in case you were wondering. :)  
  
Again, if you have not read The Times are Changing, which is Part I of the trilogy, I advise that you read it, as the information is quite necessary (ID is 1859613). And for those of you who are H/Hr diehards, there will be some FNS (Fluff n' Stuff) scattered throughout the chapters (or most of them, who knows) ::wink::  
  
And now, if you have managed to read through all of my ramblings without crying out of boredom, welcome to Part II of the Second War trilogy, The Path Ahead.  
  
Chapter 1: A Reunion  
  
Hermione was sitting in her room reading a book. It had been three days since she had owled Professor Dumbledore asking whether or not she could go over the Dursely's to spend the summer with Harry, and she hadn't gotten a response yet. Just as she finished the chapter she was reading, Hermione heard her mother's voice from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Hermione, your headmaster is here to see you," she shouted up the stairs. Hermione jerked her head upwards. Quickly she closed her book and bolted out of her room, down the stairs, and into the living room, where sure enough, Professor Dumbledore was sitting conversing with Hermione's father.   
  
"Listen, I'm just not sure whether or not it's a good idea," her father said. "I mean they're kids. For all we know Hermione could – oh, hello dear." Hermione had entered the room and sat down next to her father.  
  
"Professor how come you're here?" she asked.  
  
"Simply because you inquired about staying with Harry this summer. I think it is a reasonable request, but your parents obviously have the ultimate say in this matter. I thought it would be best to consult with them in person," said the headmaster smiling.  
  
"It's like your father said," began Hermione's mother, walking into the room. "I understand that Harry's summers are usually not very pleasant, but you two are dating. I don't really feel comfortable leaving the two of you alone all summer like that."  
  
"The Dursleys will be there," Hermione suggested.   
  
"And from what I hear, they would be the reason that you would have to sneak into Harry's room covertly," her father commented.  
  
"I do not deny the fact that the Dursleys would have to be kept in the dark about Hermione's stay, even though it is their house. However, given the fact that Harry has had to spend the past 16 years of his life living there while he is not at Hogwarts, I think that Hermione staying with him might increase his spirits a little," Dumbledore said.  
  
"Not to mention his blood pressure," Hermione's father muttered.  
  
"DAD!"   
  
"Sorry," he said grinning sheepishly.   
  
"While they are teenagers, I do not believe that your daughter or Harry would engage in any activities which you yourselves did not do at this age," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. At this Hermione's parents blushed a little. Hermione's eyes widened at seeing this.  
  
"Mum? Dad? You guys-" her mother cut her off.  
  
"Maybe we could talk about that a little later dear."   
  
"I think," began Dumbledore again. "That some time alone for Harry and Hermione outside the constrains of school would be good for them. From what I have seen, it is apparent that Harry will not be able to purge this world of Voldemort without the help of your daughter. Obviously, as I said earlier, you two have the final say in this. However I urge you to consider that this would be beneficial to both Harry and your daughter, not mention it would please them both immensely." Hermione's father sighed.  
  
"Hermione, if your mother and I agree to this, will you swear to us that you will not get yourself pregnant?"  
  
"Dad!" Hermione said with her eyes wide.   
  
"I'm not joking around Hermione. I don't doubt that if we leave you and Harry alone together for almost two months that certain 'things' will happen. To be quite honest, even if we did prohibit you from going, I believe that those 'things' would happen in time. That is a choice of yours that your mother and I have no power over. Since it seems inevitable though, I think it is reasonable to let you go to Harry's for the summer, ON THE CONDITION that you promise to not get yourself pregnant," finished her father. Hermione looked at her mother.  
  
"I agree with him dear," her mother said. Hermione blushed madly.  
  
"I promise," she said in an almost inaudible whisper.   
  
"Good!" said Dumbledore getting to his feet. "I think then I should go and help your daughter pack then, since she cannot yet use magic outside of school."  
  
"She's leaving now?" asked Hermione's mother and father in unison.  
  
"I'm leaving now?" asked Hermione echoing her mother and father.  
  
"Yes, unless any of you have any objections to it," said Dumbledore. Hermione's mother opened her mouth, but no words came out. She shrugged and shook her head along with her father. "Then I shall go help your daughter pack. Would you be so kind as to show me to your room, Hermione?"   
  
"Yes sir," she said leading him out of the living room where her parents were still standing scratching their heads. They walked up to Hermione's room in silence and when they got there, Dumbledore pulled out his wand.  
  
"Now what would you liked packed, Ms. Granger?" he asked.  
  
"All of my school stuff, my books, my clothes, oh and let my get my morning things out of the bathroom," she said.  
  
"No need," said Dumbledore opening Hermione's trunk. "Minimus," he said pointing at her books. They instantly all shrunk to the size of matchboxes. "Pack!" Immediately all the now tiny books on Hermione's shelves marched into the open trunk. The clothes came from her dresser and also packed themselves neatly, along with her school stuff and her vitals from the bathroom.  
  
"I really need to learn how to do that one," she commented. Dumbledore smiled.   
  
"I daresay you will in time. Now before we go I think I should let you know a couple things," Dumbledore said. "Naturally, the Dursleys cannot know that you are staying with them, or I have no doubt they will throw both you and Harry out of their house." Hermione nodded. "Therefore, I will cast silencing charms on the walls, floor, and ceiling, and a locking charm on the door before I leave. I will also set up a shield charm so you two can do magic inside the house. Transfigure the room so that it is big enough for you two to live in. Conjure food if you can, if not, I'm sure Harry's owl can deliver for you – oh and speak of the devil," Dumbledore stated as Hedwig flew into Hermione's room.   
  
"Hello Hedwig, we're about to leave to go to Harry's. Can you fly back?" Hermione asked. Hedwig hooted her displeasure, but took off back to Harry's leaving his letter on Hermione's desk. Hermione quickly opened and read the letter; it was nothing unusual, just Harry stating how much he missed her. "He is going to be so surprised when we get there," Hermione said. Then a thought crossed her mind. "How exactly are we getting there?" she asked. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"A portkey," said Dumbledore. A wave of relief crossed Hermione's face. She HATED flying.  
  
"I'm going to go say bye to my parents," Hermione said. She walked out of her room and down the stairs into the kitchen where her parents were having a cup of tea.   
  
"Leaving?" asked her mother. Hermione nodded. "Well have fun, and please don't do anything stupid."  
  
"I won't," she said. "I promise I'll write every week." Her father stood up to hug her, and Hermione's mother followed suit.  
  
"Be careful," her father said.  
  
"I will. I should get going now, I don't want to keep Professor Dumbledore waiting." Her parents nodded and she rushed back upstairs into her room.   
  
"Well now, are you all set Hermione?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Dumbledore took an old piece of parchment out of his robes and tapped it with his wand. It glowed blue and then returned to its original color. "Whenever you're ready." Hermione reached out to touch the sheet of parchment that Dumbledore was holding with her left hand, her right firmly clamped onto the handle of her trunk. She touched it and they were gone.  
  
=====  
  
Harry glanced at his bedside clock. It was five in the afternoon. He groaned and buried his head into his pillow. He had not slept a wink since he had gotten home. The moment he had entered his all too-familiar room at the Dursley's, thoughts had begun teeming through his mind. Because he was the boy-who-lived, during his summers at Number Four, Privet Drive, Harry had often thought about events that were related to Voldemort.   
  
Not this summer. For the five days that Harry had been home since he got off the Hogwarts Express, he had thought mostly of Hermione. Naturally he couldn't helping thinking about Ron, or Luna, for that matter. You don't lose your best friend and that friend's girlfriend in a battle against Voldemort and not think about them. At least Ron had come back as a ghost.  
  
Currently, Harry's thoughts were centered around Hermione's smile as he waved goodbye to her on Platform 9 (not 9 and 3/4, they had already passed through the archway into the muggle world), and he sighed to himself.  
  
"There is no way I'm going to make it through this summer," he muttered. "I haven't slept in five days and I can't even fall asleep now. I must be going crazy." Normally he would talk to Hedwig for comfort, but since he had gotten home, she had been relaying letters between himself and Hermione every day. She even made the trip twice on the second day that he was home. Harry turned onto his back and lay looking at the ceiling, wondering when his owl would come back with a letter.  
  
Hermione had been already written to Dumbledore for permission to see Harry over the summer, but according to her, the headmaster had not written back yet. Harry lay there replaying the events that had taken place after the Easter break, about how he had almost lost the one girl he truly loved. He lay there thinking how alone and empty he would be without her, until a sharp crack brought him back to his senses. He looked up and saw Hermione and Professor Dumbledore standing next to him in his room.  
  
"I – wha – what are you guys doing here?!" he asked hardly able to contain himself. Dumbledore smiled and pointed his wand at the door.  
  
"Silencio," he muttered. He then did the same for the walls, floor, and ceiling. Hermione just stood there smiling. "We are here Harry, because I felt, along with Hermione here, that you could use some company. Colloportus," Dumbledore finished as the door sealed itself shut.  
  
"I hope you don't mind us dropping in on you like this Harry," said Hermione smiling.  
  
"Not at all, but Professor what about Hermione's parents? And the Dursleys?"  
  
"Hermione's parents consented to her stay here after some convincing, and I daresay the Dursleys won't notice if you stay in your room the entire summer," replied Dumbledore.  
  
"Well how are we supposed to stay in this room the entire summer without the use of magic?" asked Harry.  
  
"Ah I'm glad you reminded me," said Dumbledore. "Maxus Protegus," he said twirling his wand. Harry saw outside his window a slight blue light, then it faded away. "That should let you do all the magic you want to inside this house." Harry's jaw dropped.  
  
"Seriously?" he asked in awe.  
  
"Yes, Harry, seriously. Now I must be going. I have work to do, and you two more than likely have to catch up on things," Dumbledore said smiling, and with that he disappeared.  
  
"Well uh, I would've cleaned if I had known you were coming," started Harry picking up stuff on the floor. "There's really no room. How exactly are we going to live like this?" he asked. Hermione looked at him and frowned.  
  
"You say that like I have no idea how to do magic." Hermione raised her wand. "Meta deus expendum," she said, and the room swelled to the size of the Dursley's living room. "Don't worry, they won't know a thing," Hermione said referring to Harry's aunt and uncle.  
  
"Oh yeah, we can do magic-" Harry started to say, but Hermione had run over to him and pulled him into an emotional kiss.  
  
"I've missed you so much," she said, her forehead on his.  
  
"It's only been five days," chuckled Harry, knowing full well that he had missed her just as much. She smirked at him.  
  
"Shut it you," she said grinning.  
  
"Or what?"  
  
"I'll hex you."  
  
"You say that as if there's nothing I could do to defend myself. I believe it was you who stated that it was safe to do magic in here?" Harry replied. Hermione chuckled.  
  
"Oh you have no idea what we can do now," she whispered. Harry looked down at her in surprise. She slapped his arm playfully. "Not that, you pervert." Harry laughed.  
  
"What would I do without you?" Harry asked smiling.   
  
"You'd be hopeless," smiled Hermione. Harry picked up his wand from his night stand.   
  
"Wingardium Leviosa," he said. Hermione rose about 3 feet into the air, absolutely terrified.  
  
"Put me down!" she shrieked.   
  
"Not so hopeless now, am I?" taunted Harry.  
  
"Oooooh I swear I'll get you for this," she said as Harry floated her over to his bed and dropped her on it. She raised her own wand. "Transmatus ferenal," she said pointing at the wall behind Harry. He turned and saw it had turned into a big cushion. He didn't have time to turn back at Hermione when he heard her say "everte statum," and he went flying into the newly transformed cushion. He fell to the floor in shock laughing, and turned back at Hermione (who was laughing hysterically) with his wand raised.   
  
"Accio!" he shouted, and she flew at him, hitting the cushion and also falling to the floor laughing. The two of them wrestled around on the floor for several minutes until Hermione ended up on top of Harry in a very provocative position.  
  
"Maybe we should stop trying to beat each other senseless," she joked. "I'm hungry." After transfiguring the wall-sized cushion back into a wall, Hermione stood up and walked over to the middle of the room, which was now quite large and empty.  
  
"So what'd you bring?" asked Harry.  
  
"Don't be daft, I didn't bring anything," she responded. "I'm a witch you know." Hermione transfigured a table and two chairs out of some of Harry's old clothes, and then began conjuring up silverware and food out of nowhere. After about five minutes, a sizeable meal was on the table in front of them, and Hermione sat down preparing to eat.  
  
"Well are you going to join me or just stand there staring at me?" she asked smiling. Harry walked over to the table and sat down across from her.  
  
"How did you do this?" he asked in amazement. "Conjuring is supposed to be almost impossible to master like this." Hermione blushed.  
  
"It did take me a little while to learn," she admitted. "But it's really quite simple once you get the hang of it."  
  
The two of them enjoyed the filet mignon dinner that Hermione had conjured and afterwards Hermione transfigured three books of Harry's into a television, a couch and a VCR. Harry sat down on the couch as Hermione put in a movie.  
  
"What are we watching?" Harry asked. Hermione looked at him quizzically.   
  
"Technically we're watching the Mummy, but I hardly think we're going to watch it," she said smiling mischievously. Harry returned the smile as Hermione jumped onto his lap and the two of them wasted little time, their lips flying onto each other in a very passionate kiss. Hermione gave a soft moan as Harry's tongue playfully explored her mouth. They stayed like that until someone in the movie screamed about a half hour later.  
  
"Maybe we could turn this off?' asked Hermione. "I don't think we really need it on anyways." Harry nodded and turned off the T.V. with a flick of his wand. Five minutes later they were interrupted again by the sound of wings and an indignant "hoot".  
  
"Hi Hedwig, sorry to make you fly so much in one day," said Harry apologetically. She flew over to the couch and landed on the arm rest, where she began to playfully nip at his ear.   
  
"Hey come on," said Hermione. "He's mine." Hedwig gave another hoot and flew back to her perch.  
  
"I don't really feel comfortable kissing you in front of her like this," whispered Hermione.  
  
"Write Ron and let him know that you're here," Harry whispered back. Hermione looked at him stunned.  
  
"That's actually a good idea." Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment from her trunk and scribbled a quick letter to Ron letting him know that she was at Harry's for the summer. "Can you deliver this for me Hedwig?" Hedwig looked at Hermione almost with loathing, but stuck her leg out nonetheless. Hermione tied the letter to her leg, and Hedwig nipped at Hermione's hair with a little more force than usual, but took off with her letter anyway.  
  
"Now, where were we," said Harry as Hermione flopped back down on top of him on the couch.  
  
"Something along these lines," said Hermione as they resumed their little snogging session. The two of them kept this up until Harry yawned about twenty minutes later.  
  
"Do I bore you that much?" asked Hermione smiling.  
  
"Not at all," said Harry. "I'm just really exhausted. I haven't slept at all since we left Hogwarts."  
  
"Well let's go to bed then," Hermione said standing up. Harry looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Aren't you going to transfigure a bed?" he asked. Hermione put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Now why would I do that?" she asked. Harry felt a lump in his throat appear.  
  
"We're going to sleep together?"  
  
"Why not? We've done it loads of times in the common room."  
  
"Yeah but we were clothed then," said Harry. Hermione frowned.  
  
"Harry if you're worried about doing something to me in your sleep, then say so."  
  
"I'm not, I just didn't know that we had progressed so much," he said. Hermione sighed.  
  
"You said the same thing at Ron and Luna's funeral when you were in the shower. I can't wait to hear you stutter when it's time for us to finally have sex," she said smiling. Harry blushed and tried to suppress an embarrassed grin but failed. "Come on," she said. "Let's just get some sleep."  
  
Harry got up and found his pajamas in his dresser. He took his shirt off and was about to remove his pants and boxers, when he stopped and turned to face Hermione.  
  
"Well go on," she said. Harry blushed slightly but since she had seen him naked before, it really didn't matter if she saw him again. Quickly he stripped down to nothing and put on his pajama bottoms. Hermione walked over to him as he put the t-shirt he was going to sleep in on. "Honestly Harry, I don't know why you're so embarrassed," she said. "You have a really cute butt." Harry felt the blood rush to his cheeks when a thought crossed his mind.  
  
"So you're going to sleep in your clothes then?" he asked. This time it was Hermione's turn to blush.  
  
"No," she said in a very matter-of-fact tone. Hermione raised her wand and pointed at one of the walls. "Appartus." A door appeared in the wall, which Hermione walked over to and opened. It was a bathroom with a shower.  
  
"You know that's not very nice," said Harry. "You could've let me change in there."   
  
"Yes," she said. "But unlike you, I can restrain myself from jumping on you when I see you naked."  
  
"And how do you know that I would not be able to restrain myself if I saw you naked?" Harry asked.  
  
"You're a boy."  
  
"True...." Harry responded. Hermione laughed and walked into the new bathroom with a t-shirt. Harry got into his bed and put his glasses on the night stand. He lay there until he heard the bathroom door open and he looked over at Hermione. She was standing there wearing nothing but a t-shirt and cotton underwear. Harry gaped at her. She looked so beautiful in the falling sun.  
  
"See what I mean?" asked Hermione. "I'm not even topless and you're staring at me as if I were one of those girls in the dirty magazines," she laughed climbing into bed with Harry.  
  
"You look better than any of those women," he whispered. Hermione blushed and Harry pulled her into a kiss. They lay in bed like that for a while until Hermione felt something pressing against her leg.  
  
"Harry," she said warningly raising her eyebrows. Harry quickly figured out what she was talking about and pulled away blushing. "Don't worry," she said. "It will happen soon enough. Just not tonight."  
  
"I wasn't expecting it to happen at all in the near future," he said. Hermione turned away from him so he could pull her closer to him.  
  
"It will, I just want it to be perfect," she said.   
  
"I know," Harry said with his arms wrapped around her. And with that, the two of them drifted off to sleep.  
  
A/N: The portion of this chapter in which Hermione enlarges Harry's room and conjures dinner is Golsagil Sindar's idea, NOT MINE. He wrote it first in his story and I take no credit for that part. The rest is mine.  
  
Hope you liked this chapter. I know it was short (and fairly boring), but the beginning of a new story always is. Read and Review, next chapter up sometime next week!  
  
...The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began, now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can.......– LotR 


	2. Birthday Presents

Sorry it took me so long to update, I got involved in reading an exceptionally long fic, and it took me about five days to read it.  
  
I had a couple complaints about the writing style of the first chapter, so I thought I'd take a minute to clarify that. It was merely an attempt at a new way of how to perceive the story. It failed miserably, so to the happiness of those of you who complained, I will be reverting to my old style, which follows the trends of JKR. And now, ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Chapter 2: Birthday Presents  
  
Over the past two and a half weeks, Harry had gotten used to Hermione living with him in his room at the Dursley's. To Harry's relief, Dumbledore had been correct in assuming that the Dursely's would not notice if he didn't leave his room for the summer.  
  
At first, living with Hermione had been quite....fun. Yes, if Harry could choose a word to describe it, fun was probably the best choice. The non-stop snogging probably had something to do with that. About a week after she arrived though, the raging teen hormones started to calm themselves down, and Hermione was now back in study mode, the result being a very mature, working type of atmosphere.   
  
Harry had no problems with this, as he was pretty sure that the things that he and Hermione did at night in his bed were classified as "mature" acts (even though the two of them had mutually agreed on waiting to do 'certain things' until they were both ready), but the snogging on the couch during the day had stopped so they could work. Work was progressing quite well (they had managed to compete ALL of Snape's summer essays already, and were almost done with their Charms work), and as Harry's birthday quickly approached, he couldn't help but wonder what was in store for him this year.  
  
Two days before Harry's birthday, Hermione brought the subject up.   
  
"Harry, can we talk for a little bit?" she asked. Harry looked up from his food. He didn't know much about girls in general, but he did know that this question usually meant that a problem was about to present itself. Hermione noticed the look of disdain on Harry's face and quickly added, "Oh, don't worry it's nothing to be concerned about." Harry's face relaxed considerably.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. Hermione had been conjuring more complex things as of late, and was getting very good at it.  
  
"Well, I know we haven't really talked about it much, but I was wondering what you would like to do on your birthday?" she responded. Harry looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Well...nothing I suppose." Hermione looked at Harry disapprovingly. "I haven't really celebrated my birthday before, so I don't even know what I would do. Everyone's always sent me presents and cards and such, but aside from that I just act like it's any other day."  
  
"You mean to tell me that during the 16 birthdays you've had here-"  
  
"Fifteen," Harry corrected her. "Although I don't remember my first when my mum and dad were still alive."  
  
"Fine, fifteen," she said. "You mean to tell me that the Dursley's have never done anything?"  
  
"I think it's more likely for Snape to start awarding house points to Neville for trying in potions class than for the Dursley's to celebrate the day I came into this world," grumbled Harry.  
  
"That's horrible," replied Hermione. "I guess we'll just have to make up for all that other bad birthdays you've had then." Harry arched an eyebrow at her in surprise. She saw this and sniggered into her goblet. "You are such a boy."  
  
"Would you prefer I be a girl?" Harry asked smiling. "I never knew you were attracted to women." In response to this, Hermione picked up her wand and pointed it at Harry's lap from above the surface of the table.  
  
"Watch it Potter, or I'll make a change to your anatomy that will make life very unpleasant for you," she said acidly. Harry's eyes grew wide.  
  
"You can do that?" he asked in awe. Hermione scoffed.  
  
"Yes. Why, do you want me to make that change to you?" she asked smirking.  
  
"I was just thinking about why you haven't threatened Malfoy with anything like that," Harry said with a grin. This prompted a chuckle from Hermione.  
  
"I doubt there's anything for me to deprive him of anyway," she laughed. "So, you never answered my question. What do you want to do for your birthday?"  
  
"If you insist about making such a big deal about it, how about that for the entire day there's no mention of any type of work or studying whatsoever," Harry said. Hermione growled a little. "I know, it's the exact opposite of what you would want for YOUR birthday, but I'm really tired out from all the studying we've been doing." Hermione's expression softened a little.  
  
"And here I thought I was finally becoming a good influence on you."  
  
=  
  
The next day, Harry woke up to the sound of Hedwig hooting on her perch. He looked over at her and found that Hermione was obstructing his view, whispering to Hedwig.  
  
"Whatcha doing up?" he asked groggily.  
  
"Oh damn," she said. "I was hoping I wouldn't wake you up."  
  
"Why? What are you hiding?" Harry asked sitting up in bed and putting his glasses on.  
  
"I'm not hiding anything, you received a letter and a package from Dumbledore today and I was asking Hedwig why Ron hadn't responded to my letter yet."  
  
"You can talk to owls now?" Harry asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"You can't possibly tell me that you've never been able to communicate with Hedwig," she said pursing her lips.   
  
"Oh, right," he said sheepishly. "So can I have my letter?"  
  
"It's on the table next to your breakfast," she said sitting back down in front of her tea. Harry sat down opposite her and looked at the parcel wrapped in paper patterned with golden snitches on the front. His letter was on top of the package, and he opened it and read aloud,  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I know this letter and parcel will arrive one day prior to your birthday, but I have business I must attend to tomorrow and therefore sent it today. But before I get ahead of myself, Happy Birthday! Speaking of birthdays, as you will be 17 and of majority age, I thought I should bring to your attention that you may pledge to join the Order (Harry's heart jumped at reading this). I daresay that you are reading this letter aloud to Miss Granger right now, so I will also add that once she comes of age, I'm sure she will be most welcomed into our ranks as well.   
  
Now, onto your present. First, let me express that you are welcome to open the gift whenever you choose, as long as it is on or after the day of your birthday. It has been in my possession for several decades, and now I feel it would be better suited in your hands. I believe it may be of use to you for preparation in the upcoming battle. I do believe your father attempted to gain control of it at one point, but thanks to the charms I had upon it, he could not locate it. The password is 'from knowledge rises power'. Use it well.   
  
-AD  
  
P.S. Oh by the way, as your mandatory month at the Dursley's will be completed in two days, you are of course, free to return to Snuffles home if you wish. Please send a letter with Hedwig if you wish to go there, and if so when would be an appropriate time for Remus to pick you up.   
  
Harry looked up at Hermione as he finished reading the letter. Her eyes were wide and she was biting her lower lip like she always did when thinking, nervous, or both.  
  
"How did he know we call him Snuffles?" Harry asked to no one in particular. Hermione shrugged. "Do you want to go?" Harry asked while Hermione was still in thought.  
  
"Only if you do," she said.  
  
"Well I'd like to. I want to get back there and besides, it'll do for a change of scenery." Hermione frowned.  
  
"You don't like my scenery?" she grumbled referring to her interior designs of Harry's magically expanded room.  
  
"You know what I mean," said Harry. "Besides, I think the house is probably legally mine now that...Sirius is gone..." his voice trailed off. "I'd like to see what I can do about repairs and improvements."  
  
"Of course," she said. "But I'd like to stay here a few more days at least."  
  
"That's fine," replied Harry. "How does leaving on August 3rd sound?"  
  
"Seems ok," Hermione replied.   
  
"So Ron didn't write back yet?" Harry asked.  
  
"Guess not," she replied. "Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"What do you think he sent you?" she inquired looking at the package wrapped in the snitch-patterned paper. Harry lifted it the item up to his eye level, and brought it up and down, as to get a feel for its weight.  
  
"It's a book of some sort-" he began eyeing the package. Hermione's worried expression immediately turned into a giant grin.  
  
"Well if it's a book it can't be all that bad," she said. "I bet there's loads of useful information in there. Shame you can't open it until tomorrow." Harry looked at her shocked.  
  
"You really think I shouldn't open it until tomorrow?" he asked pleadingly.  
  
"I think it's for a reason that Dumbledore said to wait. You know that if he wrote that, he wrote it for a reason." Harry let out an exasperated sigh.  
  
"Fine," he said sliding the parcel under his bed. "I'll wait."  
  
"Good," replied Hermione. "Now eat your breakfast, we have to get to studying if we're not going to do any work tomorrow." Harry groaned.  
  
"Hermione, the point of not doing work tomorrow is to give me a day off, not to do double the work on a different day." She huffed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yes well, you'll feel better once it's all over trust me."  
  
"I know, but do we really have to work so hard all the time?" Harry asked with a lopsided grin. Hermione rolled her eyes, but at the same time seemed to be thinking.  
  
"I'll tell you what," she said. "Humor me today, and I'll give you your birthday present from me early." Harry considered this a moment, wondering what she got him. It would have to be good in order for her to be able to tempt him with it early. Of course, that might be her intentions to make him think that. Either way, Harry wanted to avoid any type of argument and replied,  
  
"Deal." He stood up from the table and went over to Hedwig. "I'm gonna write back to Dumbledore now." Hermione nodded and Harry scribbled quickly that if he and Hermione could be picked up on August 3rd, it would be most appreciated. When he was done, he rolled up the parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg who took off into the early afternoon sky.  
  
"Now," said Hermione walking over to their study table (also newly transfigured) with an armful of books. "Sit." She commanded. "We need to get Flitwick's assignment done." Harry groaned but went over to sit next to her nonetheless.  
  
The day passed without event, although the extra work they had done had caused them to start eating dinner at around eight at night. As Harry and Hermione finished dinner, Harry brought up Hermione's part of the promise they made earlier in the day while Hermione was vanishing the plates and silverware she had conjured.  
  
"So," he asked leaning back on his chair. "What's my present?" Hermione stopped vanishing objects and looked at him. "You did promise to give me my present early." She considered him a moment before speaking.  
  
"You'll get it," she said. "In a little while." Harry began to rock back and forth in his chair.  
  
"Can you give me a clue?" he asked.  
  
"No, you'll just have to wait and see," she responded twinkling slightly. Harry rocked back on his chair again, and this time the chair broke and he fell flat on his arse. "Honestly," sighed Hermione. "Weren't you ever told not to lean on chairs because they would break?"  
  
"Yeah," said Harry rubbing his backside. "I just never believed it." Hermione grinned at him.  
  
"Just like a boy."  
  
"Would you stop saying that?" Harry asked smiling.  
  
"I'm merely stating the facts," she replied. Hermione repaired the chair with a flick of her wand, and after five more minutes, they were done clearing the table of all the conjured items. Harry gave a yawn.  
  
"I'm tired," he commented. "I think I'll get ready for bed." Hermione nodded.  
  
"I'll retire too, let me get changed." And with that she walked off into the conjured bathroom with nothing but her wand. Harry paused for a moment to think about this, but then realized that Hermione was probably just going to transfigure or conjure herself something to sleep in. He was about to change into his pajama bottoms when he heard Hermione's voice come from within the bathroom.  
  
"Sleep in your boxers tonight," she shouted to Harry through the closed door.  
  
"Why?" Harry shouted back. "And how did you know that I was changing?"  
  
"Law of averages, and just do it, it's supposed to be a warm night tonight." Harry grumbled but complied, and slipped under the covers wearing just his boxer shorts. He lay there staring at the ceiling with his glasses on for a few minutes until he heard the bathroom door open. What he saw made his jaw drop.  
  
It was Hermione, and that wasn't what surprised him. It was what she was wearing that was the surprise. She was standing there in a red-silk nightgown that Harry had never seen before. It came down just barely below her knees and was quite 'revealing' Harry thought. She walked over to the bed and got under the covers next to him.   
  
"How come you're wearing that?" he asked, his mouth still hanging open.  
  
"Don't you like it?" Hermione asked suddenly looking very self-conscious. She looked at the gown she was wearing and started smoothing it down until Harry took one of her hands in his.  
  
"It's gorgeous," he whispered. Hermione smiled.  
  
"I thought you'd like it," she said.  
  
"So why are you wearing it?" he asked still holding her hand. She grinned at him like only she could and whispered,  
  
"I did promise you your birthday present early, didn't I?"   
  
Harry's brain began reeling with what the implications of that sentence could be. The only action he was able to make in response was to swallow and force the lump in his throat to shrink slightly. Hermione noticed this and chuckled.  
  
"Unless of course, you don't want your present?" Harry's mind immediately snapped back into focus.  
  
"N-n-n-no," he said trembling slightly. "I just....just...." He trailed off as he saw Hermione was giggling at him.  
  
"You are adorable when you stutter," she said smiling. Harry felt the blood rush to his cheeks and looked down. "Oh come on, you can't still be embarrassed in front of me, can you?"   
  
"You'd be surprised," he muttered.   
  
"You do know that I'm not embarrassed about anything with you anymore, right?" she asked regaining her business-like tone.  
  
"Well, yeah. I've just never really had a person before that I could feel so secure with," Harry replied still facing away from her. Hermione lifted his head to that their gaze was even.  
  
"I know," she said. "But I love you enough to trust you with my life and then some. Do you not feel the same way?" she added arching her eyebrows.   
  
"I would die for you, Hermione," he replied taking her hands in his. "There is no one else I would rather be with than you." A silent tear rolled down Hermione's cheek as Harry finished this and he wiped it away.   
  
"I know," was her response. Then a smile flickered onto her face as she cleared her throat. "So...are you ready to stop being embarrassed in front of me?" Harry couldn't help but blush, but he made sure his eyes stayed focused on hers this time.  
  
"I think so," he said smiling. This time it was Hermione's turn to blush slightly.  
  
"That's more like it," she said. With that she grabbed her wand from the nightstand and flicked off all the lights.  
  
The next morning Harry awoke in his bed with his arms wrapped around Hermione. He kept his eyes closed, trying to remember his dream from the previous night. All he could remember was that he and Hermione had done some very adult things. It wasn't the first time he had dreamt it, but it had seemed so real this time, he was kind of disappointed when it had ended. Sighing, he opened his eyes.  
  
It was then he realized that both he and Hermione were lying in his bed stark naked. Slowly, he realized that last night had, in fact, not been a dream.  
  
"Wow," he chuckled to himself. He was about to do some more thinking when Hermione stirred and she turned over to face him with a grin on her face.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd wake up," she said smiling. Harry looked at her skeptically.  
  
"How long have you been up?" he asked.  
  
"About twenty minutes," she replied.  
  
"How come you didn't get up?" Harry asked. Hermione's smile widened.  
  
"I liked being held by you." Harry couldn't help but smile at hearing this. "Happy birthday, Harry. I hope you liked your present." This time it was Harry's smile that widened.  
  
"You have no idea," he breathed out. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"Actually I do, but I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless," she said resting her forehead against his. "And by the way, I happen to feel the same way." A thought crossed Harry's mind then.  
  
"Isn't the first time supposed to be.....unpleasant for girls?" he asked.   
  
"Well at first it wasn't," Hermione confessed. "But it got much better," she said smiling. "I read it's only supposed to get better with time."   
  
"You read?" asked Harry incredulously. Hermione grinned.  
  
"You'd be amazed what you can find inside a book," she said. Harry chuckled.  
  
"So how much better does it get?" he asked smiling. Hermione smiled back, but hers was very mischievous.  
  
"Let's find out." It took Harry's brain a few seconds to register that sentence, but it didn't take him long after that to figure out what it meant.  
  
Forty-five minutes later the two of them were sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, getting dressed for the day. Hermione finished, put her head on Harry's shoulder, and sighed with contentment.  
  
"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" she asked. Harry smiled.  
  
"Yeah, you may have mentioned it once or twice." Hermione playfully slapped Harry in the arm as he turned to kiss her. The kiss was broken up a few minutes later by the arrival of Hedwig, carrying several parcels along with letters. She landed ungracefully on the table as it was apparent that her heavy load had tired her greatly. Harry stood up from the bed and walked over to her.   
  
"Wow, you carried this all by yourself, huh?" he asked Hedwig. She hooted softly as Harry untied the three parcels and four letters that she had brought him. When he had finished untying the last one, she flew over to her cage and immediately went to sleep.  
  
"So who sent you presents?" Hermione asked walking over next to Harry.  
  
"Well there's a letter from Ron attached to this one, a letter from Hagrid on this one, looks like Lupin sent me something as well, and this last letter looks to be from......" Harry scanned the envelope. "Dumbledore," he finished, recognizing the familiar looping handwriting.  
  
"Well go on," Hermione said. "Open them." Harry complied and opened Ron's letter first.   
  
Harry,  
  
Sorry I didn't get back to you right away mate, but Hedwig took off somewhere before I had a chance to reply. She came around this morning carrying packages for you, so I assume she was just bringing you all your birthday stuff at once. Speaking of which, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATE! Can't wait to hear how your summer's been ::wink wink::. Say hello to Hermione for me, and don't go doing anything that I wouldn't do.  
  
-Ron  
  
"I get the feeling that he's trying to encourage you to do bad things," said Hermione smiling.  
  
"Now now, not all of them are that bad are they?" asked Harry grinning. Hermione laughed.  
  
"Definitely not." Harry returned to the package and saw that it was the usual homemade fudge from Mrs. Weasley, and a few chocolate frogs from Ron. Harry the turned to Hagrid's package and saw that thankfully, it wasn't any of his homemade cooking, but an interesting book on the nature and characteristics of dangerous creatures.  
  
"That should be useful," commented Hermione. "You never know what sort of things Voldemort may throw at you." Harry looked up frowning. "Sorry," Hermione hastily added. "I didn't mean it like that."  
  
"It's ok, I know," replied Harry. He then opened Remus' letter and read it.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday. I don't really think that there's a point to writing down everything I know in a letter, as I'm going to see you in three days. I know your present may seem a bit odd at first, but I think you'll understand once you open what Dumbledore sent you (if you haven't opened it already). Just be careful, and use it well.  
  
-Remus  
  
"Why is everyone telling me to 'use it well'?" Harry asked with a slight smile.  
  
"Because you should," responded Hermione smiling. "Go on and open it then."  
  
Harry opened the package and saw that Remus had in fact sent him, of all things, a book of English-Latin translations.  
  
"I wonder what this is for," he commented. "Suppose I should open Dumbledore's present and find out."  
  
"You should probably read his letter first, just in case there's something he forgot to mention to you yesterday," Hermione commented. Harry looked at her like this was highly unlikely, but opened the letter anyway.  
  
Harry,  
  
I am just writing to let you know the Remus will apparate to your room at noon on August the third, so be sure you are not involved in any activities that would be cause for embarrassment. Also, do not begin work on anything in what I sent you, wait until you arrive at headquarters. Again, Happy Birthday.  
  
-AD  
  
Harry had a strong suspicion that Dumbledore had been twinkling madly while he wrote this letter.  
  
"Well," began Harry. "Let's see what he sent me, shall we?" Hermione nodded and Harry went over to his bed and pulled the present out from under it. He set it on the table and tore off the paper. It looked like an ancient book of some kind.  
  
"I wonder what it is," said Hermione. She made to open it, but as she touched the cover, she shrieked and pulled her hand away quickly. "It shocked me!" she cried nursing her hand. Harry's brow furrowed, then he remember what Dumbledore had said in his letter the day before. He pulled out his wand and touched the tip of it to the cover.  
  
"From knowledge rises power," he said, and the cover of the book flew open. At first, Harry thought there was something wrong, he leafed through the book and found all the pages to be blank. But when he returned to the first page of the book, print started to materialize.  
  
"I wonder what needed to be guarded so carefully," said Hermione. The print finished materializing and Harry leaned close to the book so he could read the words.  
  
"De Tomus et Ur Castatus," he read. "What does that mean?"  
  
"Well Remus did send you an English-Latin translator," Hermione said handing Harry the book from Lupin.  
  
"Oh yeah," said Harry leafing through the pages of the dictionary. "De Tomus et Ur Castatus," he muttered. Harry ran a finger down one of the pages in the index. "Page 243." He quickly found the page and began scanning it. His jaw dropped when his gaze reached what he was looking for. Hermione quickly looked at what he had read.  
  
"Oh....my....god," she breathed. The translation had read as:  
  
'The Tome of the Spellmaker'.  
  
Read and Review!!!  
  
A/N: I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LATIN! I'm positive that the translation I just gave is 100% incorrect, so all of you Latin scholars out there, please take no offense. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention this in the first chapter, so I decided to write it now. Throughout this story I will be using ideas from many separate people, and I decided that it would be easier to write a list of credits at the end of the story instead of citing them one by one. So if I've contacted you about taking ideas, do not fret, you will get credit at then end.  
  
Next chapter up soon – I'm almost done with school, so I should have a little more free time (although once school is over, the job hunt begins, so we'll see......) 


	3. Return to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place

I'm back! And a little sooner this time, much to everyone's chagrin. This is the chapter where, as they say, "the plot thickens." So have fun!  
  
DtG – Dude, that review was great. I'm glad to see that people still have humor, it's a much needed quality that unfortunately few people truly possess. Flame away!   
  
Chapter 3: Return to Number 12, Grimmauld Place  
  
Harry was still holding the English-Latin translation dictionary, but both he and Hermione were staring at the ancient book which was lying open on the dinner table.  
  
"Does that mean what I think it means?" asked Harry.  
  
"I....I think so," said Hermione. "I've read about this book a couple times. It was supposed to be locked away for safekeeping from the dark lords." The two of them walked over to the tome and looked at the open page, on which the only print was the words which, when translated to English, read, 'The Tome of the Spellmaker'.  
  
Harry turned the page to reveal an enormous table of contents.   
  
"Dear me," said Hermione wide-eyed. "Creation and theory of spells, spell affliction and objectives, creation of dark spells......." her voice trailed off. "Do you know what this means?"  
  
"Because we have this book it means that we've spent the last six years of our life studying magic for no reason at all?" smiled Harry. Hermione frowned at him.  
  
"I'm being serious. It means that we could, theoretically of course, create spells that could do amazing things for our world! We could invent counter-curses to all known spells-" Hermione stopped and gasped. "We could come up with a way to block Avada Kedavra," she whispered.  
  
"Two things Hermione," Harry said, now serious. "One, if there was an easy known way, Dumbledore would certainly have figured it out by now, this book being in his possession for, if I remember correctly from his letter, decades. Two, Voldemort already figured out how to do it, remember?"  
  
"Oh. Right," Hermione said looking dejected. Harry smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry," he said. "I'm sure that we can come up with some excellent stuff with the help of this book." Hermione smiled.  
  
"Well we should get started right away, the more time we have to do this the easier it will-"  
  
"Dumbledore said to wait, remember?" commented Harry. Hermione frowned and gave a look that almost, no did, resemble pouting, which caused Harry to smile. "I'm sure that we'll have plenty of time at Grimmauld Place."  
  
"I guess so," she replied.  
  
"Come on, I'm sure there are plenty of 'other things' we can still do in the three days we have left here," Harry said smirking. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, but broke a smile.  
  
"I should never have given you your birthday present early Harry, it's made you smug."  
  
"Would you have it any other way?" asked Harry positively grinning now. Hermione crossed her arms, but giggled nonetheless.  
  
"Most certainly not," she said walking over to the bed, Harry right behind her.  
  
=====  
  
The three remaining days at Number 4 Privet Drive passed without event, with the single exception that occurred after Harry and Hermione woke up on the day of their departure after a very exhausting night.  
  
Hermione woke and, to her surprise, found Harry already awake and staring into her eyes.  
  
"You're up early," she yawned.  
  
"I didn't sleep well," Harry replied. Hermione waited for more of an explanation, but when none came, she spoke up.  
  
"Why not?" Harry looked down, slightly ashamed  
  
"'eems," Harry mumbled.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Dreams," Harry said more loudly looking back up. Hermione's eyes widened.  
  
"Dreams? Were they about Voldemort? Is your scar hurting? Are you-" Hermione began asking frantically but Harry held his hand up laughing.  
  
"No no, nothing like that. I just uh, well this is a really stupid time to bring it up, but have we been....you know...." Harry motioned with his hands as if to ask Hermione to finish the sentence for him.  
  
"No, I don't know," she replied. "What?"  
  
"Well, have we been taking care of certain...precautions?" Harry whispered. "I just had a dream about....children, and I realized that I hadn't even asked you if it was taken care of-"  
  
"Oh that!" Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes Harry, don't worry. It's all taken care of. Back before the school term ended I made the potion at Hogwarts and brought it home with me." Harry arched his eyebrows in surprise.  
  
"You knew this would happen?" he asked. Hermione smiled at him.  
  
"I had already committed to the idea of being with you for your birthday present. I expected it to happen at headquarters, but motive met opportunity before that so...." Hermione's smile looked as if it couldn't get any bigger.  
  
"Pleased with yourself?" asked Harry wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Immensely," she replied pressing her forehead against Harry's. "I couldn't be happier with the results."  
  
"Well then that makes two of us," he said. Harry kissed Hermione quickly on the lips before rising out of bed and stretching.  
  
"What time is it?" Hermione asked also starting to rise.  
  
"Not sure," Harry said squinting at his clock. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and looked at his clock again. "Bloody hell! It's 11:45! Remus is going to be here at noon!"  
  
The following fifteen minutes were the most hectic that Harry had ever gone through, and that was saying something. Thankfully, Hermione knew some simple packing spells, so they were nearly done packing when Remus apparated into their room precisely at noon.   
  
"Remus!" shouted Harry and Hermione in unison. Harry walked over to Remus and shook his hand before pulling him into a very father-son type of hug.  
  
"Glad to see you again Harry," he said. "And you too, Hermione, I like what you've done with the place" he added giving her a hug as well.  
  
"It's good to see you too Remus," said Harry. "Thanks for the birthday present."  
  
"Ah, I'm glad to hear you got it. I take it you haven't really used it yet since Dumbledore told you to wait to start any new projects?" Harry nodded. "Well, are you two almost done packing? We should get going when we can. Dumbledore only lowered the transportation wards around here for a short time. They could come back on at any time."  
  
"Transportation wards?" asked Harry.  
  
"Of course, you don't honestly think that Dumbledore wouldn't have put up protection to prevent, say, a certain dark lord from apparating right into your room while you were asleep do you?" Remus replied chuckling.  
  
"I guess not," Harry replied sheepishly.   
  
"Ok, all done," said Hermione dragging her trunk over to them. "Let me just shrink the room and we can get going." Remus nodded and Hermione shrunk the room back into it's normal state.  
  
"Ok, grab hold of this book. It'll be our portkey to Grimmauld Place." Hermione nodded and touched the book. Harry was about to also, but suddenly had a thought.  
  
"Remus, seeing as this is my last year at Hogwarts and all, maybe it would be ok if I said goodbye to the Dursleys once and for all?" Remus' brow furrowed slightly, but then a grin broke on his face and he nodded.  
  
"Alohamora," said Harry pointing his wand at the door. It flung open and he found himself looking a Uncle Vernon, whose hand was raised about to knock. Upon seeing Remus and Hermione, he instantly turned his most brilliant shade of purple.  
  
"Well, I'm leaving now," said Harry walking over to his uncle. "I daresay I won't ever be coming back here, so I hope that doesn't disappoint you too much." Harry was taking great pleasure in the distress he was causing his uncle. "Oh by the way, this is Hermione, I think you've seen her around before. She's been helping me through my difficulties this summer."  
  
"That-that-girl has been here all summer?" Uncle Vernon said starting to shake with anger.  
  
"Oh yes, and she's been quite helpful," Harry said trying to contain his amusement at this situation. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off. Please don't give Dudley or Petunia my regards." And with that, he walked over to Remus and Hermione, grabbed his trunk, touched the book Remus was holding, and felt the familiar tugging sensation behind his navel which signified that he would never again return to his "home" of 17 years.  
  
The three of them landed with a 'thud' on the floor of the basement kitchen. Harry stood up and brushed himself off, then helped Hermione up.  
  
"I hate portkeys," Harry said. "I guess I have Voldemort to thank for-" Harry didn't have time to finish his sentence, because an all too familiar force had hit him in his stomach, squealing with delight. Harry chuckled when he regained his breath. "Hello Dobby."  
  
"Welcome to your new home Harry Potter!" squeaked the house-elf in excitement. Harry looked up at Lupin.  
  
"So it is mine, then?" he asked.  
  
"Of course it is, Harry," replied Remus. "The moment Sirius got away from Hogwarts with your help that night a little over three years ago, he wrote a will just in case anything ever happened to him. I would've given it to you sooner, but you still seemed to be grieving over his death last summer." Remus pulled a piece of rolled-up parchment from his robes and handed it to Harry. "You'll also notice, that should you decide to visit Gringott's anytime, that the amount of gold in your vault has increased significantly."  
  
"The last thing I need is more money," Harry said taking Sirius' will from Remus. "I would rather it go to you."  
  
"Come now," said Lupin. "I have no need for money, you know that. Dumbledore is taking care of me, and as long as you permit me to continue to reside here as I've been doing, I see no reason that I would need any type of money in the future." Harry nodded.  
  
"Of course you can stay here Remus," he said. Harry then looked down at the ecstatic elf who was still clinging to his robes.  
  
"He really likes you, doesn't he?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well I did free him from the Malfoys. Hey, speaking of house-elves, where is Kreacher?" Harry spat the name of the old house-elf like it was something he had drank which Snape had spit in.  
  
"Oooooh Kreacher was a bad elf, Harry Potter sir," piped Dobby.   
  
"Was?" asked Harry. At this Dobby's eyes grew wide and he looked at the floor.  
  
"Well when Sirius died, Kreacher was no longer bound to Grimmauld Place. So he left, along with the painting of Sirius' mother, I might add," interjected Remus.  
  
"He just packed up and left?" asked Harry sounding disappointed. "I really wanted to give him his wish and put his head up on the mantle with alongside the others."  
  
"Harry!" said Hermione with exasperation.  
  
"He would've deserved it Hermione. I'm not going to argue with you about this," replied Harry. Hermione looked taken aback at Harry's resolute tone and was about to make a counter-point, but the look on Harry's face made her decide against it. Just then the door to the kitchen opened and a short red-haired female walked in.  
  
"Dobby, have you seen my – HARRY!" Ginny shrieked as she ran over to him and crushed him in a hug. "Oh it's so great to see you. And you too Hermione!" She said giving the very shocked brown-haired girl a hug too.  
  
"How come you're so happy to see us?" asked Hermione suspiciously.  
  
"Can't a girl be happy to see her friends?" replied Ginny.  
  
"She's happy because she's tired of listening to Ron all summer," said Fred waltzing into the kitchen.  
  
"Can't blame her either," said George, who was right on Fred's heels. "He's done nothing but mope ever since he got your letter, Hermione."  
  
"He seemed happy enough from the tone of his letter," she replied.  
  
"The letter that I wrote for him," interjected Ginny.  
  
"Yeah well, he seems to think that you two were having all the fun without him," said George.  
  
"There is some truth to that," Harry whispered in Hermione's ear who giggled. The other four people in the room looked at them. Fred and George immediately sprouted grins larger than anyone could think possible and quickly ran over to Harry.  
  
"Harry, maybe you should come with us," they both said in unison. "We have things we need to talk to you about."  
  
"You too, Hermione," said Ginny now grinning as well. "I need to ask you about something from.....uh....."  
  
"School?" Hermione finished.  
  
"Yeah," said Ginny snapping her fingers. "That's it." Ginny pulled Hermione out of the kitchen and disappeared.  
  
"Remus, good old boy, perhaps you could give us a moment with Harry here?" asked Fred. Remus chuckled slightly and nodded, ushering Dobby out of the room with him.   
  
"If Harry Potter needs anything, just say Dobby's name and I will be there for you sir!" squeaked the house-elf as Remus and he left the kitchen. Harry sat down at the table and was accompanied by Fred and George.  
  
"So, what's to talk about?" asked Harry.  
  
"Hang on Harry, we need someone else to join us," replied George. "Would you like to do the honors, Fred?"  
  
"Most certainly," replied Fred pointing his wand at his throat. "Sonorus. RON! KITCHEN! NOW!" he shouted at the ceiling. He quieted his voice again and pulled some dust out of a pouch in his robes and threw it at the door.  
  
"What's that?" Harry asked.   
  
"This," George said pointing to the pouch in Fred's hand. "Is charm dust. It's what we had Ron get Peeves to retrieve for us at the end of last year."  
  
"What does it do?" Fred and George smiled.  
  
"The more appropriate question, Harry, is 'what doesn't it do?'" replied Fred with an even bigger smile. "It does whatever you want it to. For example, I just threw it at the door to lock it securely, since mum will be down any minute to yell at us for summoning Ron so loudly. It will prevent her from unlocking the door at any time, nor will she be able to hear our conversation, simply because that's what I wanted it to do."  
  
Harry's eyes grew wide in amazement. "No wonder you wanted it so badly. That's bloody brilliant!" he said wide-eyed.  
  
"We thought you'd approve," said George leaning back. "Ah, and here's our guest of the hour too." Ron floated down through the ceiling with his arms crossed. His expression immediately changed when he saw Harry.  
  
"Harry! Good to see you made it, mate." Ron said floating down into the chair next to Harry. "So what do you two want?"  
  
"Harry here," began Fred.  
  
"Has been involving himself in certain adult activities," continued George.  
  
"Which we want to know all about," said Fred.  
  
"And we thought you'd like to hear it too," finished George. Harry blushed and Ron smiled.  
  
"So you did get there, then?" Ron asked. Still looking at his feet, Harry nodded. The twins let out a whoop and the ghost simply crossed his arms and chuckled.  
  
"About time," Ron whispered to Harry. "I thought it would take forever to happen."  
  
"Why are you guys making such a big deal about it?" asked Harry now slightly laughing along.  
  
"Because ye are the boy-who-lived Harry!" shouted Fred. "Excuse me, I got that wrong. You are now the man-who-lived!"   
  
"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" asked Harry grinning.  
  
"Nah, not for a while anyway," replied George. Suddenly they were interrupted by a banging on the door and a shout from an all to familiar voice.  
  
"FRED! GEORGE! YOU OPEN UP THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" the voice of Mrs. Weasley came wafting through the door.   
  
"She's just angry because she can't eavesdrop on us," George said grinning. "Fred?" Fred nodded and took a small pinch of the same dust and threw it at the door. The door burst open and Mrs. Weasley stormed in, her face flushed with enough fury to match that of her hair.  
  
"That damned dust," she said. "I swear if you two had put your minds to more productive things in school-"  
  
"This is quite productive!" exclaimed Fred standing up. "How can you say that a material which does whatever you require it to is not productive?"  
  
"Well stop using it around the house at least. We should have no secrets from each other here," replied the mother of the ghost and twins, the redness draining from her face a little. "Harry," she said walking over to him and pulling him from his chair into a hug. "So good to see you again."  
  
"If good to 'ee 'oo too Mifiz Weezey," Harry said muffled. She released him from his hug and rounded on the twins again.  
  
"So what was so important that you needed to shout for Ron from all the way down here for?" she demanded.  
  
"Wow, Fred, look at the time," said George looking at his watch.  
  
"Dear me, my brother you're right. We best be going to our shop, don't want to let Neville be overrun at rush hour," replied Fred. The two of the ran out of the kitchen chased by Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Neville?" asked Harry.  
  
"He works at the twins' shop now. They got so sucessful they needed somene to run the register for them. So...." said Ron now that he and Harry were alone. "How was your summer?" Harry sat down next to Ron and saw that he was grinning. "And be honest."  
  
"Can we do magic in here?" asked Harry quietly. Ron nodded and Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door. "Colloportus. Silencio." The door slammed shut with a squelching noise.  
  
"Well?" asked Ron again. Harry looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Best month at the Dursley's in my life," Harry replied.  
  
"So I take it that you and Hermione....you know."  
  
"I already gave the answer to that while the twins were here."  
  
"Just making sure," said Ron. He leaned over to Harry. "It's amazing, isn't it?"  
  
"I couldn't believe it," replied Harry. "It was better than quidditch." Ron looked at him as if Harry had just uttered an extremely foul swear. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the expression his best friend gave him.  
  
"I can't believe you just said that," Ron commented. "Even though it's true." Harry's laughter was immediately silenced and he looked at Ron with his eyes wide.  
  
"I never thought I would hear the day that Ron Weasley said that something was better than quidditch," Harry said. To his surprise, Ron hung his head after hearing this.  
  
"I 'd give up the ability to even fly if I could have her back in my arms again." Harry immediately knew that he had hit a sensitive spot in his previous comment.  
  
"I'm sorry Ron, I didn't mean it like that."  
  
"I know," Ron replied. "I just miss her so much." At that point, there were vibrations from the door, and Harry deduced that sometime was trying to come in.   
  
"Finite Incantatem," he said. The door opened and Hermione walked in, looking very embarrassed.  
  
"I hope the conversation I had with Ginny wasn't even remotely related to what Fred and George wanted to talk to you about."  
  
"It probably was," replied Harry. Hermione sighed and sat down next to him, oblivious of the fact that Ron was in the room.  
  
"I swear, I cannot wait for that girl to have sex so that I can bug her with all the embarrassing questions that she asked me," she said sighing. Harry chuckled and knew that Ron was being silent behind him on purpose. "Have you seen Ron yet?"  
  
"I'm right here," Ron said leaning forward in his chair so that Hermione could see him. Hermione's face immediately turned bright red and her eyes widened in shock.  
  
"Ron!" she said. "I didn't see you there."  
  
"Apparently not," he replied. "Nice to see you too."  
  
"Yes, well. Have you been there the entire time?"  
  
"Didn't you hear Fred yell for me earlier?" asked Ron grinning.  
  
"Oh. Right," replied Hermione looking slightly distraught.   
  
"Come on now, don't be so disappointed, Ron's happy for us!" said Harry wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Aren't you Ron?"  
  
"Ecstatic," Ron said in a drawling voice not unlike Malfoy's. Harry took a friendly swipe at Ron, but his hand passed through the Ron's body sending a shiver through Harry. "You keep forgetting I'm dead," Ron noted. At that moment Dumbledore walked through the door to the kitchen humming a tune which sounded vaguely reminiscent of "Weasley is our King".  
  
"Ah, Harry, Hermione, how wonderful to see you. I trust there were no problems getting here?" he asked smiling.  
  
"None at all," Hermione replied.   
  
"Good good," said Albus. "Harry, would you like to take a walk with me for a minute?" Harry looked quizzically at Hermione who shrugged. Not having the slightest clue what was going on, Harry stood and followed Albus out of the kitchen and up the stairs.  
  
"So Harry," began the headmaster. "I assume that you and Hermione enjoyed your time together?"  
  
"Ugh, why is everyone bothering me about this topic today?" asked Harry to no one in particular.  
  
"Simply because I like to ask you how your summer was in trying to keep you oblivious to the fact that I already know precisely everything that has already happened," replied Dumbledore with the infamous twinkling extremely pronounced in his eyes. Harry looked at the headmaster.  
  
"Knowing you, you're probably not joking about that either," replied Harry disdainfully.  
  
"Don't be so glum about it Harry, I won't intrude on your personal affairs if you don't want me to. I was merely interested in whether or not you were informing people that you and Hermione had fully 'acquainted' yourselves, which I see you aren't."  
  
"Ron, Ginny, and the twins know, but that's it, I believe," replied Harry. "So what exactly are we doing up here?" They were now on the landing of the third floor.  
  
"Well when I asked Dobby if he would come here to fix up the house, he seemed to want to turn one of the room into your own personal quarters." Dumbledore led Harry to a door that Harry had not been through before. "I must say he has done a rather excellent job on it too," added the headmaster opening the door.   
  
Harry's initial reaction was that it was some sort of an illusion. An elaborate prank of some sort conducted by Fred and George that Dumbledore went along with. But when he stepped into the room, he realized it wasn't an illusion.  
  
There was a queen size bed with the headboard against the left-hand wall. There was fresh sky-blue carpeting on the floor, and the room had been painted a dark red. Towards the back of the room there was a door on the right-hand side leading to a private bathroom with a shower. None of this, however, could top the posters that, Harry guessed, Dobby had put up on the walls around the room.  
  
At first glance, Harry thought they were Chudley Cannon posters. Upon closer inspection, however, he saw that they were posters of the Gryffindor quidditch team, all of which featured Harry.  
  
"Wow....." he said in awe. "Is that really me?"  
  
"It is indeed," replied Dumbledore. "I must say you just made a fine catch in that one over there Harry," he said nodding towards the one on the right of Harry's bed. Harry went over to it and watched himself in the poster waving the snitch while on the shoulders of Fred and George, who were still sporting their beater's clubs.   
  
"Harry, I'm glad I found you. Snape just came in downstairs and said that he needed to talk to Dumbledore and-" Hermione didn't finish her sentence because it was then she noticed the room she had just run into. "Harry," she whispered. "Is this your new room?"  
  
"Yeah, apparently Dobby did it for me," Harry replied. Hermione looked around the room in awe for a minute, then Dumbledore cleared his throat.  
  
"Well perhaps I should go and see what Severus wants. Harry, your induction into the Order will be at the weekly meeting on Friday. I suggest you prepare some kind of speech, as I'm sure some of the other members of the order will like to hear your views on the matter." And with that Dumbledore exited the room leaving Harry and Hermione by themselves.  
  
Harry sat down on his new bed, watching Hermione study the pictures. He laid down with his feet hanging off and closed his eyes.  
  
"So this is what it feels like to have a real room of my own," he thought. His next thought, however, was interrupted by a gasp from Hermione.  
  
"Harry!" she yelled. Harry quickly stood and ran over to her. She was looking at one of the posters on Harry's wall. "Why are you kissing Ginny here?!"   
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I've never kissed Ginny in my life."  
  
"Well you're doing it right here!" Hermione shouted pointing at the poster. Harry was, indeed, kissing a very attractive red-head right in the middle of the quidditch pitch, holding the snitch in his left hand.  
  
"Dobby!" Harry shouted into the air. Immediately the house-elf appeared next to his knees. "What is the meaning of this poster? I've never kissed Ginny Weasley in all my days." Dobby looked at his feet.  
  
"Well you see sir-" Dobby began.   
  
"Hang on. In this picture I'm holding the snitch in my left hand. I only caught the snitch with my left hand that one game in my second year. What in the-?" Harry never finished his sentence, because at that point, the two people in the poster broke off their kiss and turned to face Harry, Hermione, and Dobby.   
  
"Harry..." Hermione whispered. There, standing and waving at them, were James and Lily Potter (or maybe she was still Lily Evans when the picture was taken), and now realizing who they were, Harry saw an all too familiar dog running around at their heels.  
  
"Dobby thought Harry Potter would like having a poster from his father's old school days," Dobby said still looking at his feet. Harry turned to the house-elf with tears in his eyes and knelt down so that he would be at eye-level with the elf.  
  
"Thank you so much, Dobby," he said pulling the very taken aback house-elf into a hug. Dobby's tennis ball eyes grew wide in surprise, then welled up with tears of happiness.  
  
"Anything for you sir," Dobby said sniffling a little. "Dobby must be off now, dinner needs to be cooked." Harry nodded and Dobby disappeared with a snap of his fingers. Harry stood up to face Hermione who was standing looking at the poster of Lily, James, and Sirius now with tears in her eyes as well.  
  
"Hermione?" Harry asked tentatively.  
  
"Oh Harry," she sobbed throwing herself into his arms. "I'm so sorry that you had to live for 16 years with those horrible people. You should've been able to grow up and live a normal life with your parents."  
  
"Well," contemplated Harry. "I have to admit, if it hadn't been for Voldemort making me 'The Boy Who Lived', then I doubt you would've paid any attention to me on the train all those years ago." Hermione looked up and smiled at him.  
  
"I guess. I'm just so happy that I'm with you now."  
  
"That makes two of us."  
  
=====  
  
The next few days passed without incident, and Thursday, the day before Harry's induction into the Order came around very quickly. Harry, with the help of Hermione, had just put the finishing touches on what Harry thought was a very respectable speech, when there was a knock at his door.  
  
"Enter," said Harry in his most Snape-like voice. Dumbledore walked through the door smiling and closed it behind him.  
  
"I do say, Harry, you have a remarkable ear for the voice of your potions teacher." Harry grinned.  
  
"What can I do for you sir?" he asked.  
  
"You can lend an old man an ear while I babble on about your induction tomorrow."  
  
"I hardly think that Harry's induction in something to 'babble' over," Hermione said with her best McGonagal look.  
  
"And you, Ms. Granger, have an uncanny ability to mimic the smirk that Minerva makes whenever she disagrees with anything." Hermione immediately blushed and turned back to proofread Harry's speech one more time.   
  
"So what do I need to know about tomorrow?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well first of all, be prepared for certain people to disagree with your nomination."  
  
"Nomination?"  
  
"Well to be honest, you aren't officially inducted into the Order until you get voted in by a 2/3 majority," said Dumbledore smiling slightly. "But I have no doubt that you will meet that requirement with little objection. You will give your speech before everyone casts their votes, so they may think better or worse of you." They sat there for a few seconds until Harry spoke up.  
  
"Well Hermione and I have been working on the speech, it's just about done isn't it?" he asked Hermione looking over his shoulder.  
  
"I'm just fixing the errors in spelling now," she said. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Very good. Oh, and I think it will please to you hear that we have found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for this upcoming year," said Dumbledore standing to leave. Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.  
  
"Professor?" asked Harry as Dumbledore was at his door. "Who is it?" Dumbledore turned his head back to them and smiled.  
  
"I believe you both know him quite well," said Albus. Harry and Hermione's eyes widened.  
  
"Remus?" they both asked with excitement. Dumbledore chuckled.  
  
"No, not Remus, I think perhaps I should not give you clues pertaining to information anymore, I seem to be getting less and less good at it as time progresses."  
  
"Well who is it then?" asked Hermione getting slightly impatient. Dumbledore gave his greatest twinkle and replied,  
  
"Viktor Krum." And with that he left Harry and Hermione sitting on Harry's bed in complete silence.  
  
A/N: Folks, here's the thing. I appreciate that you guys find my story interesting enough to read and all, but it gets harder and harder to will myself to write for days on end when people don't review. I'll say it like this: Reviews are my fuel and the tank is starting to run low. I don't care if you write only one or two words, just take ten seconds and put one up there to make me feel good about myself :)   
  
That's all for this week, the more reviews I get, the sooner the chapter will be up (by next Friday at the absolute latest).  
  
Oh and don't worry, I didn't forget about the Spellmaker, I'm saving the more interesting stuff involving it for another chapter or two. Don't worry, next chapter will be VERY big in terms of plot and such... 


	4. Arguments and Old Friends

Alas, I have been plagued by the sickness of the common cold these past few days. More time for me to stay in bed and write!  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter Four: Arguments and Old Friends  
  
Harry and Hermione sat in silence stunned by the news Dumbledore had just given them.  
  
"Well," said Harry after a minute or two. "That was certainly unexpected."  
  
"Yeah, I'll say," said Hermione sighing. Harry arched his eyebrows and shook his head. "Kind of ironic, isn't it?"  
  
"In what sense?"  
  
"My ex boyfriend is going to be teaching my current boyfriend," Hermione replied, frowning slightly.  
  
"Hermione, I hardly think that after all these years that Krum will have a problem with me being with you," said Harry putting his arm around the girl sitting next to him. "Whatever did happen with you two anyway?" Hermione gave a slight chuckle.  
  
"Long distance relationships don't work, Harry."  
  
"Did you guys keep in touch?"  
  
"Yes," replied Hermione thoughtfully after a pause. "Though I haven't heard from him save one time since after the Department of Mysteries."  
  
"What happened?" Harry inquired.  
  
"Well I wrote him a letter explaining what had happened to me, you know," she started. "When he wrote back he said that he was going away for a year to do research on the Dark Arts, and that he wouldn't be able to keep in touch."  
  
"And that was it?"  
  
"That was it." Hermione sighed. "I think he didn't want to be my 'shoulder to cry on' anymore."  
  
"His loss," said Harry pulling Hermione close to him. "Besides, I have to thank him for asking you to the Yule Ball in fourth year anyway."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I never would've realized how beautiful you were if I hadn't seen you in that absolutely stunning blue dress you wore," he whispered into her ear. Hermione sighed and put her head on his shoulder.  
  
"You really think I'm beautiful?" she asked longingly.  
  
"Angelic," was Harry's response. Hermione closed her eyes.  
  
"I love you, Harry." Harry cracked a smile after hearing this.  
  
"I assure you, the feeling is mutual," he said with a grin.  
  
=====  
  
The day of Harry's potential initiation rolled around, and, to his surprise, he wasn't nearly as nervous as he though he would be. This was brought to his attention at breakfast that morning.  
  
"Nervous?" asked Fred. "George and I sure were when we were inducted last summer." Harry dropped his fork and looked at Fred, who at that moment, was the only other person in the room.  
  
"You two have been in the Order for over a year and haven't told me?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Um.....yeah, I wasn't supposed to tell you that." Fred leaned in close. "Don't tell Ron. I know that he could join at pretty much anytime he wanted to, but he'll go starkers if he finds out that George and I haven't been feeding him information while we were in the Order." Harry nodded his understanding.  
  
"No wonder Molly didn't confiscate the dust from you."  
  
"Huh?" asked Fred through a mouthful of bacon. Harry looked him with a smile.  
  
"Well I figured something was going on when she knew about the charm dust and simply yelled at you for it instead of taking it away." Fred beamed at Harry.  
  
"You're much smarter than you look."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Yeah, it was the promise of that 'special stuff' that got us into the Order in the first place. Mum was going on about how we were too young, but the idea of the dust appealed to too many of the members for her concerns to matter. Only she and Dad objected."  
  
"How come your dad objected to you joining?" Harry asked.  
  
"Dunno. George figures that Mum threatened him or something, you know how she is."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Anyways, all the members wanted a small pouch of the dust to carry around with them, after we told them what it could do. That's why we needed Ron. We forgot the formula, so we needed the original dust that we had hidden at Hogwarts back." Fred explained. "It's a good thing that we got Ron to have Peeves help us. I didn't want to have to tell Dumbledore where we had kept all of our 'secrets' during our school days. And speak of the hippogriff–" Fred trailed off as Dumbledore, Molly, and Arthur walked through the door accompanied with Ron floating alongside them.  
  
"I have no objection to it," said Dumbledore. Ron smiled but it was wiped away when his mother spoke.  
  
"I have plenty of objections to it. It's not right for someone so young to have to worry about the problems of people so old. No offense of course, Albus."  
  
"None taken." the headmaster replied.  
  
"Listen, I know that Harry's joining the Order, and since I'm of age, I think it's only fair if I can too," said Ron indignantly. "The fact that I'm already dead aside, I happen to know that when Hermione turns 17 in September, she is also going to be wanting to join, considering the fact that she and Harry are one question away from getting married."  
  
"Ron...." Harry began warningly. "Don't start spreading rumors."  
  
"What? You know that if you asked her to marry you today she would say yes."  
  
"Maybe so, but I think I'll wait until I'm a little older to worry about that," Harry said returning to his eggs.  
  
"Suit yourself, but I most certainly do not want to be the only one around here that has no clue what's going on. I seem to recall Harry being put into that position a little over two years ago, and look at what happened!"  
  
"Thanks for your vote of support, Ron," said Harry, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"What do you have to say about this Arthur?" asked Mrs. Weasley in a very stern voice.  
  
"Molly it's his choice, he's of age," said her husband softly.  
  
"You said the same thing last year when Fred and George joined." Immediately the room became silent.  
  
"You two were in the Order and never told me?" Ron asked Fred.  
  
"Well....uh....hmmm," Fred voiced, lost in thought. In all the years that Harry had known the twins, this was the first time that either of them had ever failed to come up with a good excuse to a bad situation.  
  
"Well Ronnikens it was like this," said George strolling into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. "We had something to offer, so naturally, they wanted our talent."  
  
"Oh and you two are just so talented," said Ron with his arms crossed.  
  
"Dost mine ears deceive me? I do believe I detect a hint of sarcasm," George said as he sat down and began piling eggs onto his plate.  
  
"Well we won't lie and say it was for your own safety Ron," said Fred. "But it was a condition of our joining that we told no one." Ron grunted.  
  
"Whatever, I could care less right now," he said. "It's like this. I want in. I'm of age, and Dumbledore here-"  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," corrected Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"-Professor Dumbledore doesn't see anything wrong with it, so why do you?"  
  
"I don't care if he thinks that you could be the head of the Order. You shouldn't be put under the stress of dealing with adult issues like this. People die in this business Ron!" yelled Ron's mother. At that, Ron's face contorted with anger. Harry swore that if Ron were alive and still had color in his body, that his face would be the same red as the hair atop his mother's head.  
  
"I believe," Ron began softly, his voice shaking with fury. "That I have dealt with enough 'adult issues' to last a lifetime. More than many of the other members of the Order, in fact." Ron's voice was still soft, but Harry could tell that he was about to snap any moment.  
  
"Ron-" Mrs. Weasley began, but was cut off by Ron losing all control, just as Harry had predicted.  
  
"I HAD TO WATCH LUNA DIE! SHE FELL ON TOP OF ME AS SHE WAS DYING! I THINK BASED ON THAT FACT ALONE, I HAVE GONE THROUGH MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS ROOM! With the exception of Harry, and of course, you Professor." Ron added. "I watched the woman I loved more than anything else in the world be murdered trying to save me. How can you possibly say that I shouldn't be put under the stress of dealing with Voldemort when it is not only very clear that I already am involved in this battle, but that he took away the one true joy I had in my life?" When Ron finished he broke down sobbing, the tears running off of his face evaporating into thin air. Everyone in the room with the exception of Dumbledore and Harry was visibly taken aback.  
  
"Ron, I'm sorry, I didn't think-" Molly began but Ron cut her off again.  
  
"That's right, you didn't think. You didn't think for one second about how I felt. All you cared about was keeping me out of the loop, in some deranged hope that I would suddenly decide to want to be blissfully ignorant about the situation. WELL GUESS WHAT?!" Ron roared. "I'M ALREADY UP TO MY NECK IN THIS SITUATION! AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I JUST SIT BY AND LET HARRY FACE THE BASTARD WHO KILLED LUNA ALL BY HIMSELF!"  
  
"You're right Ron, I'm sorry," said Molly with tears in her eyes while her husband comforted her. "Perhaps it's time for me to let you go and grow up. I had just hoped that this day wouldn't come for a long time yet."  
  
"It's alright," Ron said floating into the chair next to Harry starting to regain his composure. "Just as long as you realize that I'm not a child anymore."  
  
"You very clearly aren't," said Dumbledore twinkling. "Now perhaps I could help myself to some of this excellent breakfast that Dobby has prepared. Traveling seems to give me quite an appetite," finished the headmaster as he sat down next to Harry. Molly and Arthur nodded and left the room as Dumbledore began piling his plate with food.  
  
"So Harry," began Ron clearing away the last of his sniffles. "Where is Hermione?" he asked putting emphasis on the word 'is'.  
  
"She was sleeping when I got up, why?" Harry responded.  
  
"Well you do know that I was right don't you?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Oh don't be so daft as to try to feign ignorance," said Fred taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. "We want to know when you're going to pop the question." Harry sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Listen, I'm not going to be doing that anytime soon. I love her to death, but we're still really too young to think about that. We're both happy with what we have right now, so there's no need to ask her. Besides, I don't even think that Hermione and I are quite ready for something like that yet."  
  
"We aren't ready for what?" asked Hermione walking into the kitchen. Harry glanced around and saw the twins and Dumbledore grinning into their plates of food, while Ron merely looked up to the ceiling.  
  
"Uh...well...uh...umm," Harry stuttered.  
  
"Oh for Merlin's sake we were asking him when he was going ask you to change your surname to Potter," said Ron looking back at Hermione. Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly.  
  
"As a joke right?" she asked.  
  
"SEE!" yelled Harry throwing up his hands. "Neither of us are ready for that yet." Hermione walked over to Harry and sat down in his lap, visibly relieved. "Bunch of clowns, these guys are," he added commenting about the twins and Ron.  
  
"I tend to agree with Harry here," she said. "Don't get me wrong, I love him to death, but we're kind of young for marriage."  
  
"That's exactly what I said!" said Harry still waving his hands frantically. "But these blokes here-"  
  
"Were simply wondering when you would tie the knot-," said Fred without looking up.  
  
"-since it's inevitable and all," finished George. There were smiles shot around the room from the twins and Ron, and this continued until Harry broke the silence.  
  
"Albus, you've been awfully quiet during all of this," he said. The headmaster looked at him and smiled.  
  
"I was just listening to you all and taking pride in the fact that my information has been quite accurate for nearly 20 years." There were curious glances exchanged until Hermione broke the silence.  
  
"Twenty years?" she asked and Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"I don't even want to know," chorused Harry and Hermione at the exact same time. The two of them laughed and the room shared another chuckle.  
  
"Come on," said Hermione standing up. "Let's leave these four to discuss our wedding plans in peace, shall we?" Harry smiled and stood up, following Hermione out the door. The moment they were out of sight, Dumbledore turned to the twins.  
  
"I will, of course, understand if you don't have sufficient funds to pay me at this precise moment," he said twinkling. Groaning, the twins reached into their pockets and pulled out ten galleons each, which they counted and handed to Dumbledore.  
  
"You three had a bet going on?" asked Ron with amazement.  
  
"Yeah, we bet our good friend Albus here that Harry and Hermione wouldn't end up sleeping together until after 7th year," George replied. Ron looked mortified that his headmaster would have bet on something so sleazy.  
  
"Now now," said Dumbledore. "That's not a nice way to say it. I merely suggested that we have a little wager on when Harry and Hermione would end up together." He was positively twinkling now. "I believe that Minerva, Hagrid, and your brother Charlie still have their end to keep up."  
  
"I would never have thought that the teachers at Hogwarts gambled on student relationships," said Ron chuckling.  
  
"Oh well no, not normally," said Dumbledore still twinkling away. "But we all felt that since it was quite obvious that they would end up together, that we have a little wager on when exactly it would happen. I hope that I haven't tarnished my image in your eyes, Ron?" Ron grinned.  
  
"If anything, you've only gained more of my respect." All four of them had a good laugh at this comment. George however, did not appear to be done whining.  
  
"I don't get it. Out of all the possible years for them to get together, you guess the sixth, and you're right."  
  
"Who says I guessed?" said Dumbledore, his twinkle positively radiating throughout the kitchen.  
  
"So you believe in that Divination stuff now?" Fred asked. Dumbledore looked sternly at the twin from above his half-moon spectacles but smiled nonetheless.  
  
"I have always believed that those with the Sight exist, Fred. If, however, you are asking whether I myself possess the sight, I will tell you that I don't."  
  
"Then how'd you know?" asked George in a whine. Dumbledore stood up preparing to leave.  
  
"A cat told me," he replied. "About twenty years ago." The headmaster then bade them goodbye until that evening.  
  
"What the bollocks did that mean?" asked Ron with his brow furrowed.  
  
"Well you know Dumbledore-" began Fred.  
  
"-always like to give cryptic clues," finished George.  
  
"A cat, huh...." began Fred. "He probably means McGonagal. How could she have known?"  
  
"Maybe she has the Sight?" suggested Ron.  
  
"Nah, McGonagal has always been of the belief that Divination is a load of dung."  
  
"Then how?"  
  
"Forget it," said George. "It's a hopeless cause. You know Dumbledore doesn't want us to know the real answer, otherwise he would've told us. And he's smart enough not to give us a clue that we would be able to figure out. So let's just drop it." The three of them agreed silently and ate their breakfast (well, Fred and George did anyway), until Ron spoke up.  
  
"SO..." he said. "You two have some serious explaining to do." Fred and George both feigned ignorance. "Honestly, with all the rule-breaking you two have done, you couldn't even tell me that you were in the Order?" Fred and George grinned at each other and set their eating utensils down.  
  
"It was for your own good Ronnikens," the said simultaneously and sprinted out of the kitchen, with Ron zooming at a Peeves-like pace at their heels.  
  
Harry and Hermione had gone back up to their room with finishing the last of their Summer  
  
homework in mind. Half an hour after they had settled down to work though, Harry distinctly heard Hermione sigh next to him.  
  
"What's wrong?" he said looking up from his Transfiguration essay.  
  
"I was just thinking about what Ron and the twins said down in the kitchen," she said with some sadness to her expression.  
  
"What? About us getting married?" Harry asked in surprise. Hermione nodded. "Listen, don't get me wrong Hermione. I love you with every ounce of fiber in my being. I just don't think it's a good idea to get married while we're still in school." to Harry's surprise, Hermione smiled at him.  
  
"So what about after school?" she asked. Harry took her hands in his.  
  
"I'll be honest, the thought had crossed my mind once or twice," he said grinning.  
  
"I guess I'll just have to keep from dying for another nine months then," she said jokingly. The smile immediately faded from Harry's face, in fact he looked almost as if he was going to cry. Hermione realized what she had said. "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it."  
  
"Please," said Harry pulling her into a tight embrace. "Don't even joke about something like that. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."  
  
"You're not going to lose me."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Harry standing up wiping his eyes. I need to lie down for a little while. "The.......schoolwork is really tiring me out," he lied. To Harry's surprise, instead of arguing about how important work was, Hermione merely stood up next to him.  
  
"I could use a break too," she said. Harry walked over to the bed and lay down in his regular clothes. Hermione followed suit, and laid down next to him, Harry protectively wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Everyone I've ever loved has died," Harry said. "I can't imagine continuing with my life without you."  
  
"Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that I will not leave you here alone. We're going to have children, grow old together, and when our children have their children, we'll be able to tell them all the stories from our school days, and how you defeated Voldemort." Harry smiled a little at hearing this.  
  
"You make it sound so simple."  
  
"It is, all you need to do now is promise me that you won't leave me."  
  
"I've never been a fan of the whole 'overconfidence' thing, and promising that I'm going to live guarantees that Voldemort dies," Harry said, his voice showing his lack of self-confidence. "Even if I made that promise, I'm not positive that I could keep it."  
  
"If you want to keep it badly enough, you will," she said staring into Harry's eyes.  
  
"Then I promise you that I'll live through this with you," he replied. He softly kissed the woman he loved before he drifted off to sleep, Hermione close behind him.  
  
=====  
  
"Where in Merlin's name is he?" asked Professor McGonagal impatiently. "You did let Harry know to be here half an hour early, didn't you Albus?"  
  
"Yes, Minerva, I'm sure that he's on his way," replied Albus. The headmaster and deputy headmistress were in the basement kitchen, along with Remus and Mad-Eye Moody. They were waiting the arrival of Harry for his initiation into the Order of the Phoenix.  
  
"Funny," growled Moody, his magical eye fixed on the ceiling. "Seems that Potter and Ms. Granger have fallen asleep together." Minerva rolled her eyes and Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Perhaps I should go and get Harry then," the headmaster said. He walked out of the room with a wink at Professor McGonagal and walked up the three flights of stairs towards Harry's room. Arriving at it, he paused a moment before he knocked.  
  
There was a groan from inside the room, followed moments later with Harry's voice.  
  
"Who is it?" he asked groggily.  
  
"Someone who doesn't wish to see you late for your initiation," replied Dumbledore. There was a rustling of sheets from inside the room, and a few seconds later Harry opened the door.  
  
"What time is it?" he asked yawning.  
  
"Six thirty-five," replied Dumbledore smiling. Harry groaned and looked at his watch, then back at Hermione, who was still fast asleep on his bed.  
  
"Goddamnit," Harry muttered. "Sorry, Professor, give me a minute to get ready."  
  
"But of course." Harry walked back into the room, grabbed some clean clothes from his dresser, and walked into his bathroom to change. He emerged two minutes later and walked over to Hermione, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open in response to this.  
  
"Mmmmm, where are you going?" she asked in a very sleepy tone.  
  
"Order meeting," Harry responded. "I'll be back in two hours or so." Immediately Hermione shot up, wide awake looking at Dumbledore.  
  
"Professor," she began, failing to stifle a yawn. "Could I come with Harry tonight? I'd like to be with him when the members of the Order vote." Dumbledore beamed at her for a moment before answering.  
  
"You may accompany him for the initiation, Miss Granger, but after that you must leave. Believe me when I say I've tried to convince the other members to let you join while you are still underage, but they wouldn't hear of it."  
  
"That's fine, I just want to be with Harry when they vote him in," Hermione said. Harry turned and smiled at her, and the three of them left the room to head downstairs.  
  
When they arrived in the kitchen a few moments later, they were greeted from a yell from Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Dumbledore you cannot be serious! You are not going to let Hermione join too-" she began but Dumbledore raised his hand.  
  
"Molly do not worry, Ms. Granger is merely here to witness Harry's initiation," he said. "And I daresay she'll want to see Mr. Weasley's as well."  
  
"So Ron's getting a chance?" asked Harry looking up at his headmaster. Molly scoffed at this, but a smiling ghost floated towards them before she could say anything.  
  
"Of course I'm getting a chance. I'm 17 and I deserve just as much a chance as you do," Ron said. "Oh, but there's someone here that I don't think you're expecting," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Who?" asked Harry. It was then a vaguely familiar voice spoke up from the shadows.  
  
"It is good to see you again, Hermy-own-ninny. And you too, Harry." Harry turned to see who the voice was coming from and saw a person Harry had not seen in over two years.  
  
"Krum?" Harry asked wide-eyed.  
  
"Viktor?" asked Hermione at the same time. Krum smiled and stepped out from the shadows.  
  
"Yes, I haff come back. Ven Dumbledore asked me to be your teacher this year, I asked him vether or not I could join the Order. He agreed, and so I am here, to see if I am voted in or not," he said smiling. For a moment the room was silent. Then, to everyone's surprise (mostly Hermione's), Harry walked over to Krum and extended his hand.  
  
"It's good to see you again Viktor," said Harry. Krum looked slightly surprised but took Harry's hand and shook it nonetheless, nodding.  
  
"You too, Harry." Hermione walked over to the both of them smiling. When Harry's withdrew his hand, Hermione extended her's, but Viktor pulled her into a hug instead.  
  
"It has been far too long, Hermy-own-ninny. I'm glad to see that you are vell?" Hermione looked at Harry expecting jealousy to be running rampant across his face, but was surprised to see him smiling.  
  
"I'm very well Viktor, thank you," she said pulling away. Krum smiled and crossed his arms.  
  
"You know Harry, I know you veren't lying back during the Trivizard Tournament, but I haff to admit, I always knew that you two vould end up together." Harry and Hermione blushed at these words, even harder when they saw that almost everyone else in the room was smiling and nodding.  
  
"How could you tell?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Please," said Krum. "Snitches are not the only thing that I notice. You two positifely glow ven you are together." Harry turned to look at Dumbledore at these words, and saw the headmaster twinkling profusely.  
  
"As you all see," Dumbledore said, dictating to the room. "Viktor is very observant. It is one of the reasons that I had no objections when he asked if he could join the Order. His sense of sight could prove invaluable to us." There was a slight chuckle from the collective crowd, but the happiness of the moment was shattered when a very familiar drawl came from one of the shadowed corners.  
  
"Perhaps if we are done reminiscing over all of the tender memories that Potter and Granger have shared with Krum, we might be able to get on with the business at hand?" said Snape, his voice absolutely dripping with disgust. Harry's heart sank. He had forgotten that Snape was in the Order, as hard as it was to forget. However his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by an outburst from the Bulgarian seeker behind him.  
  
"You!" shouted Krum, his eyes wide with hate. "Vy is he here? He vas vith the traitor Karkaroff! He is a death eater!" The were a few gasps around the room at this accusation. Apparently not everyone knew the Snape was a former death eater.  
  
"Viktor," began Dumbledore. "Yes, Professor Snape was at one point a death eater. He has, however since redeemed himself, and no longer serves Lord Voldemort. He is a member of this Order and will also be one of your peers when you teach at Hogwarts. In case you don't remember he teaches potions to our students," Dumbledore finished. Krum scowled but said nothing.  
  
"Now then," said Dumbledore rubbing his hands together. "We have three initiations tonight. Not everyone is here yet, so if everyone is willing to wait a few minutes for the remaining members, we can get started once they arrive." There was a murmur of assent and everyone began to talk amongst themselves.  
  
"Still plotting with the enemy, eh?" whispered Ron to Harry and Hermione. Harry chuckled and Hermione scoffed.  
  
"Hardly," she said scathingly.  
  
"Come on, now, I'm joking," Ron said. The three of them conversed for a few more minutes until Mundungus Fletcher and Tonks barged into the room, looking visibly winded and out of breath a few minutes later.  
  
"Sorry...we're....late," said Tonks gasping for air. Mundungus fell into a chair and promptly took a great swig of Firewhiskey from a bottle that he removed from his cloak.  
  
"C'mon Dung, not in front of the kids," said Remus. Groaning, Fletcher put the bottle back inside his cloak.  
  
"Now then,' said Dumbledore. "I believe that we are now all present and accounted for. So, if there are no objections, perhaps we could have the speeches of those who wish to join now." There was a collective nod from the room, and Harry and Hermione took a seat at the table. Dumbledore spoke again. "Perhaps, Viktor, you could go first?"  
  
"Off course," said Viktor walking to the front of the room. "Vell most off you already know that I am going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts next year at Hogvarts." Harry distinctly heard Snape give a derisive snort in response to Krum's opening sentence. "Ven Albus hired me for the job, I asked him if it vould not be unreasonable to join the Order. Although he had no hesitation in his answer, I vould like to explain to each of you vy I haff asked to be a part of this moofment." Harry looked around the room and saw several people listening intently, a few others seemed to have already made up their minds.  
  
"The simple and main reason is this," Krum continued. "I despise the Dark Arts in all shapes and forms. Ven I learned that my former headmaster, Karkaroff-" Harry noticed that Krum spat the name as he said it. "-vas a death eater, I immediately set off to track him down and find him. Vith the help of the Bulgarian Ministry, off course. That search began in the early summer off last year, and lasted the entire year."  
  
"So that's what he was doing," Harry heard Hermione mutter.  
  
"Two months ago, I found him in Siberia. He vas looking for some kind of ancient artifact. Ven I captured and interrogated him under the influence of Veritaserum, he said the he vas searching for something called 'The Torch of Green Fire'. Said he vas going to give it to you-know-who in an attempt to get back on his good side. I haff no doubt that this information is news to most of you. It is with this information that I pledge my body and honor to the causes of the honor," Krum concluded. Everyone save Dumbledore, Snape, and Minerva was visibly shocked with the revealing of this information.  
  
"How do we know if this is true or not?" asked Fred from the back of the room. "No offense, of course, to you Krum. I just want to know how any of us can know if this information is accurate." Harry couldn't recall either of the Weasley twins speaking with such intelligence, and with one look at Hermione, he could tell she was thinking the same thing.  
  
"I can attest to the validity of Viktor's story," Dumbledore said. "One, I interrogated the former headmaster myself after Krum brought him back to Bulgaria. Two, the artifact that Karkaroff was looking for is in my possession, and I can safely say that had he found it, he most certainly would have been able to return to the ranks of the Death Eaters with remarkable favor." There were murmurs from around the room, but Dumbledore spoke again before anyone could start asking questions. "Perhaps we can hear from Mr. Weasley now?" The room grew quiet and Ron floated up to where Viktor had stood to make his speech.  
  
"Well, I remember that when I asked to join there was one person who was already against it outright," Ron began. "That person was my mother. She said that I was too young to comprehend what pledging to the Order meant. She told me that I was too young because people die in this business. I ask you all to look at what I have become for a moment. I am dead. Most of you witnessed the battle that took place in Hogsmeade last year, but for those of you who didn't, I will tell you how I died." He paused here for a moment to look at Harry, seemingly for permission. Harry understood Ron's gaze and nodded.  
  
"Four months ago, a force of teachers and students from Hogwarts, myself included, snuck down to Hogsmeade on a regularly scheduled Hogsmeade weekend. We had learned of plans from Voldemort that he was going to attack Harry there during the next visit. After we were all in  
  
position, magical replicas of myself, Harry, and Hermione here began traveling down the main street we had surrounded. Almost immediately, over a hundred death eaters along with Voldemort himself apparated onto that same street. A fierce battle ensued. However as the battle was slowly coming to a close..." Harry could tell that Ron was struggling to say the next few sentences. He knew what Ron was trying to say. "...Voldemort himself directed the killing curse at me."  
  
"Hang on," interrupted Tonks from the table. "I thought that you couldn't become a ghost if you were killed by Avada Kedavra. I thought the puropse of the spell was to rip your soul out." At this Ron's face fell. He looked as if he was using every ounce of energy (or whatever ghosts had) in his being to fight back tears. Dumbledore walked over to him and put his arm on Ron's shoulder (as best as he could, Ron being a ghost, after all).  
  
"Forgive me," Ron said sniffling. "This is tough for me to talk about." There was a slight pause as Ron regained his composure, then he resumed his speech. "No Tonks, you're absolutely right. Luna Lovegood was standing next to me at the time. Although most of you will not believe me when I say this, we were deeply in love. Most adults deny it, but it is possible for people my age to know what true love is." Harry felt Hermione squeeze his hand under the table. "In an effort to protect me from death, Luna pushed me to the ground, and at the same time, received the full force of the spell that had been cast at me." Tears were starting to form in Ron's eyes. "During our time at Hogwarts, we had both researched the path to becoming ghosts in the afterlife. But, as Tonks mentioned, Avada Kedavra rips the soul from the body. Ghosts are, naturally, the souls of those who have died. This is why Luna is not standing here before you today. When I stood back up to face Voldemort, I realized that she was dead. In my blind rage, I rushed Voldemort shouting every jinx, hex, and curse I knew, but none affected him. In the end, he conjured a sword which he drove through my body." There was a slight shudder from the room at this. "My mother told me that I was too young to join because people die in this business. My argument is this. It does not seem rational, to me anyway, that I should be kept out of the Order solely because of my age, when it is apparent that I have already faced so much death in my life. All I ask is that you grant me my wish to help." With that Ron floated back to the table and into a chair. The silence in the room was deafening. After what seemed like an eternity, a person in the room began to clap. Harry turned and saw that it was Dumbledore. One by one each of the other members joined in until the room was filled with the sound of applause. This lasted for about a minute, then the headmaster raised his hand for silence.  
  
"While Mr. Weasley's speech was quite...beautiful, if I may say so, I believe that we have one more speech that needs to be given before the voting." Albus turned and looked and Harry, who slowly, recognizing his cue, stood and walked to the front of the room with the speech he and Hermione had prepared, though not before she gave his hand one last squeeze.  
  
"How can you expect me to follow something like that?" Harry asked Dumbledore. There was a slight chuckle from the room, and Harry continued, though in a more serious tone.  
  
"On Halloween night after my first birthday, Lord Voldemort himself entered my parent's house in Godric's Hollow and killed my father and mother. My father died fighting, trying to protect my mother and I. After Voldemort killed him, he turned his wand at me, telling my mother to stand aside. She wouldn't, and was killed as a result. Her love is the reason that Voldemort's killing curse rebounded on him 16 years ago," Harry stated. He was a little surprised at how calmly he had said all of this.  
  
"We know this already," drawled Snape.  
  
"True," admitted Harry. "The way the story's been told, the first great war with Voldemort ended on that night 16 years ago. Some might even say we are in the second war now, but those of us in this room know otherwise. This war has existed ever since Voldemort first came to power, and will not end until he is either dead, or conquers the world." Absolute silence followed this. "Now for the part most of you may or may not know." Harry looked at Albus, who looked back questioningly for a moment, then nodded his understanding. Harry pulled out his wand.  
  
"Conjurus," he said, and a silver basin appeared in front of him. Albus smiled at him then put his own wand to his temple. He pulled it away with a thin, silver-colored strand attached to the end of it, and put it in the newly conjured pensieve. Then he tapped his wand to the surface of the new mist and Professor Trelawney rose from the basin just like she had done in Dumbledore's office over a year ago.  
  
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches.  
  
Born to those who have thrice defied him,  
  
Born as the seventh month dies.  
  
And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal,  
  
But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not.  
  
And either must die at the hands of the other,  
  
For neither can live while the other survives.  
  
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...."  
  
(Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, pg. 841)  
  
The mist that was Sibyll Trelawney sank back into the basin, and Harry vanished it with a flick of his wand.  
  
"You now all know what I have known for over a year. To sum it up for those of you who don't understand it, I will kill Voldemort, or he will kill me." There was a resounding silence after this sentence. "I would now like to point out, that the prophecy states that I only have the power to vanquish Voldemort. It is not written in stone that I will defeat him. I will need help, and I am asking for that help to come from this Order. The sole purpose of the Order, as I understand it, is to fight against the Dark Lord, whomever it may be. Well out of all the people in this world, I am the only one who can kill Voldemort. I will have to fight against him eventually, with or without the help of those of you in this room. That is why I wish to join the Order, because I believe with your help, my chances of surviving this war will increase dramatically." Finishing his speech, Harry returned he his seat next to Hermione and she immediately put her head on his shoulder, both of them awaiting the verdict.  
  
"Well now," said Dumbledore rubbing his hands together. "I think it's time to decide. I won't waste any time with chit chat, all those in favor of admitting Viktor Krum?" Everyone in the room with the exception of Snape raised their wands and small lights emanated from the tips of them.  
  
"Ronald Weasley?" asked Dumbledore. This time everyone raised their wands without hesitation.  
  
"And Harry?" asked Dumbledore one last time. There were hesitant looks around the room, but everyone raised their wands nonetheless. "Excellent!" said Dumbledore beaming. "Come now!" he exclaimed to the room. "We have three new members, should there not be celebrating?" He clapped his hands and instantly the room expanded to the size of the dining room and tables lined with food appeared for everyone.  
  
"You told me that there was going to be a meeting after the initiations," said Harry to Dumbledore, who was already piling food onto his plate.  
  
"I lied," he replied grinning. "I thought it would be better for you if you didn't know there would be a celebration you might miss afterwards."  
  
"Albus, seriously, you need to stop hiding things from me," Harry said. The headmaster looked a little taken aback at being addressed by Harry with his first name, but grinned anyway.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry, you're right," he said putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I daresay though, that now you're a part of the Order, I won't be able to keep as many secrets from you anymore."  
  
"I should hope not."  
  
"Oh come now Harry," said Dumbledore. "You and I both know things that the other doesn't, and it's better that way. If everyone knew everyone else's secrets, what fun would there be in life?"  
  
"None, but isn't it better than being dead?" asked Harry softly. Dumbledore though for a second before replying.  
  
"If that is the way you feel, I will tell you everything you wish to know. However, consider that if you do survive this war, which I have no doubt that you will, what will happen then? You already will know everything you probably would want to. There would be no more secrets for you to uncover, no more adventures to quest for. Life will become very dull for you. Even if you do decide to have children with Ms. Granger one day-" Harry's face turned cherry red at that. "-it would still be pretty boring to never have any of your own problems to fix. I would always prefer to live without some knowledge. I find the fact that I still do not know everything I want to is what enables me to get out of my very comfortable bed in the morning," Dumbledore finished. He then walked off to talk with the other members of the Order, leaving Harry standing there to think for himself. Hermione walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a death-grip hug.  
  
"Oh I'm so proud of you," she said into his chest.  
  
"Well I do have you to thank for my speech," Harry said grinning.  
  
"Nonsense, you came up with most of it yourself."  
  
"You and I both know that's a lie," he said, still smiling. Hermione looked up at him and grinned.  
  
"Fine, but you know I don't like to brag about my work," she said. "How come you didn't tell me there would be a party?"  
  
"I had no idea," Harry replied honestly. "I just asked Dumbledore the same question."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"That he lied in order for me to concentrate better." Hermione's eyes widened.  
  
"He didn't!"  
  
"Yep, but I don't think he meant any harm by it. He never does," Harry replied.  
  
"I know. So is there a meeting tonight?" Hermione asked, her eyes twinkling very mischeviously.  
  
"Not that I know of. Professor?" Harry asked as Professor McGonagal walked by. "There isn't a meeting tonight is there?"  
  
"No Potter, simply a celebration for the new members of the Order. You are free to leave whenever you want, although I suggest letting some of your friends congratulate you first." Harry nodded and went off to find the Weasley family with Hermione.  
  
After about an hour, Harry had managed to talk to everyone in the room that he knew personally (except for Snape), and they had all given him congratulations. Harry was just about leave with Hermione at his heels, when Krum stopped them.  
  
"Congratulations, Harry," he said.  
  
"You too, Viktor." There was silence for a moment, then Harry and Krum found themselves shaking hands again, just like they had earlier that night. "Are you staying for the night?" Harry asked.  
  
"No no, I am on my vay to apparate back to Bulgaria, I still haff some packing to do, and I prefer my own bed anyvays."  
  
"You're always welcome to stay anytime you want," Harry said. Krum smiled at this.  
  
"Thank you Harry. Perhaps I should get going now, I daresay that you and Hermione are also tired after tonight's events. I shall see you later," Krum said bidding them goodbye and then setting off up the stairs to the front hall. Harry and Hermione waiting about a minute to give Viktor time to apparate away, and then with one look at each other Harry and Hermione bolted up the stairs to Harry's room.  
  
About an hour later Hermione collapsed on top of Harry completed exhausted and sweaty.  
  
"Oh my....." she whispered.  
  
"Oh my good or oh my bad?" Harry asked looking at her.  
  
"Good," she replied. "Amazingly good." She kissed Harry softly on the lips and then rolled off of him and onto the bed. "That was incredible Harry."  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Harry said smiling.  
  
"And you didn't?" Harry pretended to think for a moment, which caused Hermione to grab her pillow and smother him with it. Harry retaliated instantly, pushing her off and rolling on top of her, pinning her to the bed. She looked up at him wide-eyed, her eyes mixed with fear and longing.  
  
"You wouldn't," she said.  
  
"Like bloody hell I wouldn't," came Harry's response as he began to tickle Hermione feverishly. The two of them ended up rolling around on the floor in a very chaotic tickling war, and when it finally came to an end, Harry looked up at Hermione (who was standing at his feet) and grinned.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"You just look so beautiful in the moonlight." Hermione suddenly seemed to become self-conscious as she realized that she was still wearing absolutely nothing as a result from their episode a little earlier. She covered herself and started to go back to bed, when Harry stood and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her towards him.  
  
"What are you trying to hide?" he asked. "You know I've seen everything already."  
  
"I know, I just feel ashamed of my body sometimes," Hermione admitted. Harry turned her around to face him.  
  
"You have nothing to be ashamed of. There isn't a girl in the world I would rather have over you," he said. He lifted her chin slightly to kiss her, and the two of them fell into bed wrapped in each others arms. Five minutes later they were asleep.  
  
Harry was flying again. He loved to fly, although this seemed different. He wasn't on a broom, but he was definitely flying very fast somewhere. He landed with a 'pop' outside a house, along with several other people in black cloaks.  
  
"Go," Harry said, and the other people moved off around the house. Silently, he moved to the door and, using his wand, opened it. He ascended the stairs silently, and walked down the hallway at the top of the stairs to a door. Opening it, he saw a man lying in his bed, reading a book. The man looked up from his book, and upon realizing he was not alone, his eyes widened with fear. He quickly reached for his wand on his nightstand.  
  
"Incarcerous," Harry said. Ropes bound the man tightly and he walked up to him, chuckling slightly. "This one will be more use to us alive, Lucius." The figure struggled against his restraints as Harry looked to the figure that had appeared next to him, who was none other than Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"HARRY!" yelled Hermione shaking him. "WAKE UP!"  
  
"Wha–what happened?" Harry asked groggily, his hand searching for his glasses.  
  
"You were squeezing my wrist, then you started screaming," she said frantically. The dream came rushing back to Harry and he could only say one sentence as he shot out of his bed and started to get dressed.  
  
"They've got Krum."  
  
---------------  
  
A/N #1:Well there it is folks. It took me a long time to write this one. By the way, Krum's speech is NOT an error in my spelling. In her books, JK has him convert all of his w sounds to v's, and all of his v sounds to ff's. This is why the word 'of' appears as 'off' when Krum says it.  
  
A/N #2: Shortly after posting this chapter, I was alerted about a slight continuity error in my writing in the very last sentence of Harry's dream sequence. When Harry (who is in Voldemort's body) says, 'This one will be more use to us alive, Lucius', he IS NOT looking at Lucius. The next sentence implies that after he says that, that is when he turns and looks at Draco's father. I was trying to use a movie technique here in my writing where a character says something to another person without looking at them, then looking at them after they finish saying it. Sorry if I confused any of you.  
  
Review, I know I left a cliffie but don't worry, the story will continue as always.  
  
Next chapter up sometime next week, depending on the reviews.  
  
Oh, and I realize that I'm pushing the R-rating even more with this chapter, but don't fret. I read  
  
much more scandalous works than what I've written here. 


	5. The Rescue

Stretch, back to writing, it becomes more tedious than fun, but it's a hobby and since you all want me to write, I guess I'll just have to oblige ::wink::wink::.  
  
QueenVampyreAkasha – Thanks much for your review. To be quite honest, the pairings in your other stories really don't suit me, not that I think they're bad or anything, I'm just not a fan of the slash fics. I hope that doesn't deter you from continuing to write "A Woman's World" though, it's hilarious and although I absolutely hate the thought of R/Hr, I'll read it anyway because it brings tears of laughter to mine eyes. :)  
  
IMPORTANT A/N: Hmmm.....only two other people reviewed......perhaps you people didn't quite understand my message in chapter 3. I NEED REVIEWS IN ORDER TO KEEP WRITING!!!! Come on, folks! Seriously, how hard is it to leave a review for me? Like I say in my summary, flame if you want, I don't care. I just want some sort of feedback, no matter how ferocious it may be.   
  
And now, on with the show.  
  
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Chapter 5: The Rescue  
  
"What?" Hermione asked in confusion.  
  
"They've got Krum!" Harry replied frantically putting on his jeans.  
  
"How?" replied Hermione now getting out of bed and getting dressed as well.  
  
"How should I know?" replied Harry, buckling his belt. "All I remember is that Voldemort bound Krum, and then told Lucius-" Harry stopped dead mid-thought.  
  
"Lucius?" asked Hermione pulling on her shirt. "I thought he was in prision.  
  
"He must've been broken out. We have to find Dumbledore quickly," Harry said putting his shirt on. "Dobby!" The house-elf appeared with a crack in front of Harry.  
  
"What can Dobby do for Harry Potter?" asked the house-elf who was cleaning a glass mug with his tie.  
  
"I need to know where Dumbledore is," said Harry tying his shoes. "And I need to know now."  
  
"Dumbledore is back at Hogwarts," replied Dobby. "He left about an hour ago after the party had ended."  
  
"An hour ago?" asked Hermione who finished getting dressed. "What time is it?"  
  
"Four in the morning," replied Harry looking at his watch. "Dobby, do we have floo powder in the house?" Immediately the house-elf snapped his fingers and a small jar of the green powder appeared. "Alright, let's go." Harry and Hermione ran out of the room, with Dobby following at their heels, still holding the floo powder.  
  
The three of the ran into the kitchen and were greeted by Mrs. Weasley who was helping to clean up from the party.  
  
"Now what in the world are you two doing up this early in the morning?" she asked. "You should be...." Molly never finished her sentence because she saw the frantic look on Harry and Hermione's face. Harry wasn't going to wait around to give an explanation, so he quickly took the jar of floo powder and handed it to Hermione.  
  
"You go first," he said. She nodded and quickly walked to the fireplace, taking a bit a floo powder and handing the jar back to Harry.  
  
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's Office," she said, throwing the powder into the fireplace. Green flames erupted, and a moment later Hermione was gone.  
  
"Now what in the world is going on?" asked Molly putting her hands on her hips. "It's not right to bother Dumbledore so at this time of day-" she never got to finish her sentence, because Harry had already stepped into the fireplace and shouted, 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's Office,' and was gone.  
  
Harry landed with a thud on the floor of the headmaster's office, and saw Hermione talking very quickly to a concerned-looking Dumbledore.  
  
"Harry," said Dumbledore. "Tell me exactly what you saw." Harry walked over to the headmaster and began retelling of his dream.  
  
"I was flying. All of a sudden I landed with a 'pop' outside of a house that I didn't recognize. There were about a dozen death eaters around me, and I told them to spread out. I went up to the door, unlocked it with my wand, and went inside. I walked up to the second floor, opened a bedroom door, and saw Krum laying there reading a book. I bound him with conjured ropes, then Lucius Malfoy appeared next to me and I told him that we needed Krum alive. Then Hermione woke me up," finished Harry, who said that all very quickly.  
  
"Ok, the first thing we need to do is-" Dumbledore began but was interrupted by Molly Weasley coming out of the fire.  
  
"Now what is going on?" she asked indignantly. "Albus, these two just came barging into the kitchen and-" she was cut off by Dumbledore holding up his hand to silence her.  
  
"Harry has just witnessed another of Voldemort's attacks. Viktor Krum was kidnapped about ten minutes ago apparently," Dumbledore said. Mrs. Weasley's eyes grew wide and she put her hand over her mouth. "It is actually good that you came Molly. Floo back to headquarters, and then apparate to Nymphadora and Kingsley's houses respectively, and inform them to come here at once. Tell Kingsley to get Alastor too, he'll know how to get ahold of him without getting hexed into tomorrow." Molly nodded and promptly flooed back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.  
  
"Give me one moment please," Dumbledore said. He quickly scribbled something onto two pieces of parchment and threw them into the fire, which turned green again.   
  
"Professor," began Harry. "Is there anything we can do to help?"  
  
"You have already helped more than enough Harry," replied Dumbledore. "Given that you acted right away and without hesitation, there is a good chance that we will be able to save Viktor's life, and we may even be able to rescue him before he is subjected to anything...unpleasant. However, I get the feeling that that alone won't be sufficient to placate you. You will need to wait here until a course of action is decided, but I think there will be no objections to you joining us to rescue Viktor," Dumbledore finished. Harry nodded, but Hermione's jaw dropped.  
  
"Professor, you're going to let Harry go with you?" she asked, fear etched into her face.  
  
"He's part of the Order now, he is entitled to join us," the headmaster responded.   
  
"Then I'm coming too," Hermione said resolutely. Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her around to face him.  
  
"You're staying here," he said. "You're not in the Order and I'm not going to risk losing you."  
  
"You do not tell me what to do!" she yelled back at him with tears in her eyes, even though she knew there was no point in arguing.  
  
"Hermione, Harry is right," Dumbledore said. "You aren't in the Order, and although I have no doubt that you would be a great asset to us, you aren't trained in this kind of fighting yet."  
  
"What about last year?!" shouted Hermione tears running down her face.  
  
"It was different then," replied the headmaster with a grim look. "That was simply a 'shoot-to-kill' mission. Now we have to take a different approach. Cast spells to detain, not to kill."  
  
"But I know hundreds of those!" Hermione pleaded. "There's the stunner, the full-body-bind, the freezing jinx-"  
  
"Ms. Granger I have no doubt that your knowledge in spells that can be used to detain criminals instead of killing them is great," said McGonagal walking hurriedly into the office followed by a very sullen-looking Snape. "But death eaters can break them quite simply. Some can even revive themselves from a stunner." Hermione's face sank dejectedly.  
  
"Who's been kidnapped?" asked Snape.  
  
"Viktor Krum," replied Dumbledore. "Harry had another dream in which he saw through Voldemort's eyes, and witnessed the kidnaping of our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."  
  
"With all due respect, headmaster," Snape growled. "Given Potter's poor attempts at Occlumency, how do we know that the Dark Lord isn't luring us into a trap?"  
  
"Because Harry distinctly heard Voldemort say that they needed Krum alive. They weren't torturing him, thus, Harry would have no need to go to Viktor's house and rescue him. I have already sent Fawkes to check on the state of Viktor's house – ah, and here he is now," Dumbledore said as Fawkes appeared in the room with a burst of flame. He went over to Dumbledore and began singing quietly. Dumbledore listened intently until Fawkes was done and then addressed the four people in the room. "There is no one at Viktor's house, which means that Harry did not, in fact, become a victim of Voldemort's mind tricks again," the headmaster said standing up. It was then Harry realized that Dumbledore must be able to understand phoenix song.   
  
At that precise moment, Tonks popped out of the fire, closely followed by Molly, Arthur, the twins, and to Harry's surprise, Ron.  
  
"Krum's been kidnapped?" asked Tonks quickly.  
  
"It appears so," replied Dumbledore.  
  
"Any leads?" asked Fred.  
  
"Leads, no. Ideas, yes," said the headmaster. "Harry you said that Lucius Malfoy was with Voldemort when this happened?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"That means that Voldemort broke them out of the ministry holding cells. All right. Out of Voldemort's known hideouts, which is large enough to accommodate the return of about a dozen death eaters, and the interrogation of Viktor?" asked Dumbledore.  
  
"Azkaban, the Orford Cathedral, and the Pendennis Castle in Cornwall," said Kingsley stepping out of the fire, closely followed by Mad-Eye Moody.  
  
"So he's hiding Krum in one of those three?" asked Arthur Weasley.  
  
"It's Azkaban, I'll bet my magical eye on it," growled Moody. "It's the perfect setting for an interrogation, down in the lower dungeons they still have the old torture devices that were used before the dementors came around. I've heard that some of those things can even be more useful than the Cruciatus Curse if used properly. Won't make the victim go mad, if you know what I mean."  
  
"How can we be sure?" asked Professor McGonagal.   
  
"I'm inclined to agree with Alastor, even if his arguments are somewhat...barbaric," drawled Snape. "Azkaban is the closest spot of the three to where Krum resided. While I was still among the ranks of the death eaters, the Dark Lord was always very careful to let us know to bring our captives to the closest possible spot near where the attack was. Traveling long distances with hostages can be very risky."  
  
"I think it is safe to assume, based on our information, that Azkaban is the most likely place that the death eaters have taken Viktor. Severus, are we still operating under the fact the Voldemort is not present at interrogations?" Dumbledore asked,  
  
"That is still correct," replied Snape. "With an exception here or there, the Dark Lord makes his servants do his dirtier work for him."  
  
"Very well," replied Dumbledore. "We will split into four groups. Nymphadora, Alastor, and Kingsley will be group one. Your job will to be to apparate just inside of the prison grounds and secure the perimeter. I daresay that Voldemort will have taken time to place intruder wards around the area, so take the usual precautions. Fawkes will follow slightly after to ensure that there have been no problems. Group two will be Molly, Fred and George. You three will join group one after the perimeter is locked down, and help keep it secure. Group three will consist of myself, Harry, and Ron. Arthur, Severus, and Minerva will be group four. Group three will sweep the main level of the building from the north end, group four from the south. We will meet in the main holding area and descend into the lower levels together. Are there any questions?" Dumbledore finished. Silence followed this sentence. "Good. Now let's get moving." Dumbledore took out two empty bottles of butterbeer and placed them on his desk. "Portus," he muttered tapping both of them with his wand. Each glowed blue and then turned back. "These are portkeys that will take us back to headquarters where we can safely apparate to Azkaban. Quickly, now we haven't any time to waste." When each of the thirteen people had at least a finger on either of the bottles (or in Ron's case, through the bottle), they were all transported back to headquarters.  
  
All of them landed with a thud on the hard floor of the basement kitchen. Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley immediately disapperated.   
  
"Fawkes will follow them shortly," said Dumbledore. "We'll wait a couple of minutes for word from him." The ten remaining people in the room then sat in silence for a few minutes, until the quiet was disturbed by a burst of fire in the air, which Fawkes appeared from. He landed on Dumbledore's shoulder and began singing quietly into the headmaster's ear.  
  
"All is well," said Dumbledore. "Molly, Fred, George, go now and help them in case any more death eaters appear." Instantaneously the three Weasleys disappeared as well, leaving only Ron, Harry, Hermione, McGonagal, Snape, Arthur, and Dumbledore on the kitchen.  
  
"We should get moving ask quickly as possible," said the headmaster. Mr. Weasley, Snape, and McGonagal nodded and disapperated. "I know that you two can't apparate, so we'll take another portkey. Portus," Dumbledore muttered one more time, his wand touching one of the butterbeer bottles again. Albus and Ron each touched the bottle, when Hermione spoke up.  
  
"Harry wait!" shouted Hermione just as Harry was going to touch the empty butterbeer container. She ran over to him with her wand drawn. "Incandesta," she said drawing a box on the wall. Immediately the boxed off portion of the wall turned a dull white. "Projectus," Hermione said tapping the bridge of Harry's glasses. Immediately her picture was projected onto the white space on the kitchen wall. "That's so I can see what's going on." Harry turned to face Dumbledore and saw the picture on the wall was now displaying the headmaster.  
  
"Not a bad idea, if I do say so myself, Ms. Granger," said Dumbledore beaming. Hermione smiled and threw her arms around Harry.  
  
"You better come back," she said into his chest.  
  
"If Snape's right about Voldemort not being there, I don't have anything to worry about," said Harry.  
  
"Well just don't go getting yourself injured," Hermione said. She then put her mouth next to his ear. "I love you too much for you to go and get hurt," she whispered. Harry grinned and blushed slightly before pulling away from her.  
  
"I'll be back," he said. "I promise." And with that he touched the empty bottle and felt the familiar tugging sensation behind his navel.  
  
Never having been to Azkaban before, Harry wasn't sure what to expect, but when he hit the ground with a 'thud' and looked around, he was very taken aback at his surroundings. Azkaban prison rested atop an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. Cliffs surrounded all sides of the island, and if you listened closely you could hear the far off cries of gulls. Harry wondered briefly on how Earth Sirius ever managed to escape from here, but was brought back to his senses by Dumbledore speaking.  
  
"Ok, we go in here," the headmaster said motioning to a fairly large, iron portcullis. Harry and Ron nodded and Harry noted the first signs of light beginning to peek over the horizon. Dumbledore raised the gate with a wave of his wand, and the three of them entered at a quick jog.   
  
"Ron? Harry asked, quickly thinking of something. "I'm just curious, how do you plan on fighting against death eaters in your present state?" Ron turned and gave Harry one of his trademark lop-sided smiles.  
  
"Ye of little faith," Ron said. "Ghosts, much like house-elfs, are granted our own powerful brand of magic when we become what we are. You'll have to wait and see me use it firsthand though, it's very draining to use it." Harry nodded and they traveled on in silence.  
  
There was no resistance as the three of them made their way to the center holding area, which Harry thought was highly suspicious. As they arrived there, they saw Arthur Weasley, Snape, and McGonagal already waiting for them.  
  
"What kept you Albus?" asked McGonagal in a whisper.   
  
"Ms. Granger wanted to give Harry here a proper goodbye just in case anything happens," replied Dumbledore almost lazily. This merited a derisive snort from Snape, but he said nothing. "Come," the headmaster said. "We should get moving. We have a lot of area to cover in a short amount of time, and if I know Tom at all, he will have instructed his death eaters to hold Krum on the bottom floor." The other five people nodded and descended the stairs into the lower dungeons.  
  
It was on the fifth floor when it happened. Harry was starting to wonder when they would encounter death eaters when they were attacked by a dozen or so of Voldemort's servants. Harry's earlier questions of Ron's ability to summon magic were immediately put to rest when the ghost created a shockwave simply by striking the air with his fist in a hammer-like motion that rendered all of the hooded figures unconscious.   
  
"Dear me, Mr. Weasley," McGonagal said eyes wide. "I must say you've developed your skills quite nicely."  
  
"Well someone here made sure that I was fully aware of what I could do," said Ron smiling shyly at Dumbledore.  
  
"I think you'll agree, Ron, that having me inform you of your abilities has already come quite in handy," the headmaster said. With a wave of his wand, the dozen or so death eaters disappeared. "I sent them to Auror headquarters, they should be quite contained there until we can go there to question them." The other two teachers and Mr. Weasley nodded at this, and the six of them proceeded deeper into the depths of the dreaded fortress.  
  
After the surprise attack on the fifth floor, there were no more attacks from death eaters as the five wizards and one witch made their way into the ancient catacombs of the prison. Occasionally they would spot a death eater, and he would be stunned and sent off to Auror Headquarters, just like the others. After a while Harry's legs were beginning to protest their involvement in the rescue mission, but before Harry could think further, Dumbledore spoke.   
  
"There are only two floors left," he said in a whisper. "We need to be ready for battle at any moment." The other five people around him nodded and they continued on in silence. The second to last floor had nothing waiting for them, and they began the final descent to the bottom floor. Dumbledore stopped at the last stair before the bottom and muttered a silencing charm at the air that was the threshold to the bottom floor. He then traced a circle in his palm with his wand.  
  
"Radarus," he muttered, and instantly, about a dozen or more tiny red dots appeared within the circle he had drawn on his hand, along with one blue one. "Viktor's in the last room down this hallway," Dumbledore whispered to the group. "There are ten death eaters guarding the door, and another six waiting to jump on us the moment we set foot out there. Ron, I'll assume you can take care of the initial six?"  
  
"Yeah," Rod whispered nodding.  
  
"Good," replied the headmaster. "After they're dispatched, stay here and keep guard. We don't need to be attacked from both sides while we make our way to Krum's cell." Ron nodded again. "The rest of us, we will surely have to fight our way through to the end of the passageway. We cannot be picky here. Cast to kill." The rest of the group nodded their understanding. "Go now Ron." Ron drifted through the threshold to the bottom floor and immediately six cries of 'Avada Kedavra' could be heard. Each passed through Ron quite harmlessly, and he proceeded to create the shockwave he had used earlier, which knocked his six assailants. Dumbledore quickly sent them away, and the five people on the stairs rushed into the corridor. They were confronted by all ten death eaters about halfway down the hallway.  
  
"Well, well, well," said a cold drawling voice. "Here comes Mr. Potter to save the day." They all stopped at the sight before them. Lucius Malfoy was standing about ten yards in front of them, flanked by the other nine death eaters. Harry thought that Lucius was going to give one of his long, trademark, Malfoy speeches. Apparently the other four with Harry had thought so too, which is why it came as a surprise when the next words out of Lucius' mouth were, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The group instantly scattered to avoid the spell and the melee began. Dumbledore quickly cast a wall charm that filled the hallway. The spell managed to deflect two of the death eaters' spells and send them back at their casters, klling them, before losing its energy.  
  
Spells flew back in forth, and the intense battle raged for a little over five minutes. Harry had managed to kill two of the death eaters, Arthur got one, McGonagal got one, and Snape had killed two. Dumbledore managed to end his duel with the death eater he was locked with, and Lucius Malfoy found himself surrounded with five wands all pointed at his head.  
  
"You may have won this battle, Dumbledore, but you-"  
  
"Haven't won the war, yeah we've all heard that one before," said Harry with a cold glare in his eyes. "As I seem to remember, every time I've heard that there's always been a body count that consisted solely of death eaters."  
  
"You must've forgotten about your little Hogsmeade episode then," Lucius said with a sickening smile. Harry made to move forward but Dumbledore spoke.  
  
"He's not worth killing, Harry."  
  
"Like hell he isn't," said the boy, his rage filling him. "He deserves to die just like Bellatrix did."  
  
"As much I'd like to," began Malfoy. "I can't stay and chat. I unfortunately have more pressing matters to attend to. I'll give my Lord your regards, Severus. Maxus Transpormarre!" With that he was gone.  
  
"Damnit!" yelled Harry. "How the hell could we let him escape?"  
  
"Harry," Dumbledore said warmly. "I could've stopped him if I had wanted to, but I daresay he's more use to us alive for the moment." The other four looked at him questioningly.  
  
"What did you do to him Albus?" McGonagal asked.  
  
"Not here," the headmaster replied. "When we are back at headquarters. Harry, perhaps you would like to go get our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher back?" Harry nodded and set off down the hallway towards the door at the end. He got a few steps before he stopped and looked back.  
  
"Headmaster?" he called. Dumbledore looked up at him. "Is it wise for me to go in there alone? What if there are more death eaters waiting?" The headmaster looked at the hand that he had drawn the circle on. The blue dot was still there, but there were no longer any red dots.   
  
"There's no one except Krum there, Harry. I've been using a continuous anti-displacement charm that will prevent anyone from coming down here while we are here. You'll be fine. Besides, it should be you who gets him. After all, if you hadn't had your dream, he might be dead," Dumbledore finished. Harry nodded and continued down the corridor.  
  
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, he found himself standing in front of a large oak door. He pulled out his wand, whispered 'alohomora', and the door unlocked itself. Not entirely knowing what to expect, Harry swung the door inward. The scene that met his eyes shocked him. There were old torture devices that Harry had never seen before, along with ones he had. There was a rack in the near corner, along with some sort of pommel horse shaped in the form of a triangle with dead weights on either side, Harry guess, to attach to the ankles of the victim in order to pull them down harder onto the top of the triangle. There were also several clubs with blunt spikes on them, along with chains that appeared to be made for hanging people from their feet. Various weapons were scattered on the floor, including whips, knives, bats, hammers, any and every crude and torturous item one could think of.  
  
Harry stood still for a moment then saw who he was looking for. Krum was hanging from his wrists on the far wall, unconscious. He had definitely been tortured in the old muggle fashion. Whips stained with fresh blood lay on the ground below him. Harry saw in the faint glow of torches that Krum was bleeding from his forehead; several cuts had been made there. Harry ran forward and quickly unlocked the shackles holding Krum there with a wave of his wand. Krum fell to the floor limp.  
  
"HE'S INJURED!!" Harry bellowed back into the corridor. Quickly he checked for a pulse, and finding one, he pointed his wand at Krum's chest. "Ennervate." Nothing happened. Wondering what was going on, Harry tried again, but the spell failed once more. Dumbledore came into the room and knelt next to Harry. "I tried ennervating him, but it didn't work," Harry said quickly.  
  
"He was probably knocked unconscious from the pain they inflicted on him," Dumbledore said quietly. "He hasn't been stunned, ennervate won't wake him. Hydrus." A fountain of water streamed out of the headmaster's wand and struck Krum in the face. After a few seconds he shook his head slightly and opened his eyes.  
  
"Albus? Harry?" he asked wearily. "Vat happened?"  
  
"You were tortured Viktor," Dumbledore replied. Krum's eyes grew wide as he realized where he was.  
  
"Vere are the death eaters?"  
  
"Some are dead, the others were captured. Only Lucius got away." Krum spat blood and wiped his mouth.  
  
"Do you think we should take him to St. Mungo's professor?" asked Harry.   
  
"Yes, you can take a portkey there."  
  
"You're not coming with us?" asked Harry incredulously.  
  
"I need to clean up the mess we made here," replied Dumbledore in a bored tone. He removed a scrap piece of parchment and muttered 'portus'. It glowed the usual blue before settling back to its original color. Harry took it and held it out for Krum.   
  
"Vill you be ok professor?" asked the battered seeker.  
  
"I'll be fine, now get going, you need to be attended to," replied the headmaster standing up. Krum touched the parchment and they were off.  
  
=====  
  
Harry was in the waiting room in one of the wards at St. Mungo's. Krum had been admitted about two hours ago, and Harry still hadn't heard anything. The healer that took Krum said he would be ok, but that they may need to do some emergency healing in case his inner organs had been damaged. Harry was just starting to close his eyes when he was hit hard in the chest by something. Looking down he saw the all too familiar bushy hair buried in his robes.  
  
"I'm ok Hermione," he said regaining his breath.  
  
"I know," she said, tears running down her face. "Dumbledore just came back and gave me a portkey here. He said he'd be along any minute. I just......I just...." her voice trailed off.  
  
"What's wrong?" Harry asked lifting her chin so he could meet her gaze.  
  
"Oh Harry I was just so scared," she said crying again. "When you got attacked on the fifth floor, I thought for sure that....that something bad was going to happen."  
  
"Oh," was Harry's response, remembering the charm Hermione had cast earlier. "You saw everything?" he asked, suddenly a little nervous. Hermione nodded into his chest. Harry was about to say something, but just then Dumbledore walked into the room flanked by Snape and McGonagal.   
  
"Ah Harry, how are you feeling?" asked the headmaster, his twinkle having returned.  
  
"Pretty good actually," admitted Harry. "I'm just glad I could help for once."  
  
"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "I daresay you must be tired though, would you like to go back to headquarters?"  
  
"I'd actually like to know how Viktor is doing first," said Harry. Hermione hugged him even tighter at this, and his headmaster smiled.  
  
"Your resolve is admirable, but I guarantee you that Viktor will be fine. He may be unreachable for several more hours though, so I suggest you get some rest, and I will let you know when you may visit him." Harry had learned long ago from Hermione that there was no point in arguing logic, so he gave in to Dumbledore's argument, and a few moments later found himself being tugged back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place from a spot behind his navel.   
  
He and Hermione landed in the kitchen with a thud and after got up and dusted themselves off.  
  
"I'm getting sick of portkey travel," Harry commented. "I've done it three times today and-" he was cut off by Hermione rushing over to him and pulled him into an emotional kiss.  
  
"I was so scared," she said. "I didn't even know Ron could do that-that shockwave thing. If it weren't for him...." her voice trailed off, and Harry could tell how serious Hermione thought the situation was, given that she had admitted she didn't know something, which was very rare for her.   
  
"Come on," he said. "Let's go upstairs." Hermione nodded and the two of them walked up to Harry's room in each other's embrace.  
  
Entering Harry's room, they both flopped down on the bed without bothering to get undressed. Hermione immediately cuddled up to Harry and sighed with content.  
  
"I wish we could be like this forever, with no problems to deal with, with no people to answer to," she said. Harry ran his hand through her hair and smiled a sad smile.  
  
"You think I don't?" he asked.  
  
"I know. You don't deserve this Harry. Tonight only furthered that truth. You walked into that chamber and I screamed. I looked away from the projection and buried my head in my hands. I couldn't bear to watch that. Yet you continue to let yourself be burdened with such horrors."  
  
"I do it because it's what I'm meant to do," Harry sighed. "If I can't face these things now, how will I be able to face Voldemort?"  
  
"I know," she said. "I'm just saying you don't deserve it."  
  
"Well I have you for support," he said smiling. "You don't know how much that means to me." A tear rolled down Hermione's cheek and Harry brushed it away with his thumb.  
  
"I don't know what I'd do without you," she said, crying softly. "You're just too amazing. You'd give your assistance to anyone who asked you for it, and you ask for nothing in return. All I've ever heard you ask for is just to live a normal life, and you can't even have that. It's just not fair."  
  
"I know," Harry said. "But it's my fate."  
  
"It shouldn't be. You've already given the world so much. You've given me so much." Harry hugged her closer.  
  
"I wouldn't have been able to get through any of it without you," he said with a smile. Hermione cried harder into the crook of Harry's neck.  
  
"I couldn't believe your reaction when Krum appeared in the kitchen last night (it was now early afternoon). When he hugged I thought for sure you were going to be jealous or furious.  
  
"With all due respect, that's something Ron would do," Harry said. "I trust you Hermione. I know you wouldn't have given yourself to someone whom you didn't love with every strand of energy you have. I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone in my life." Hermione only continued to cry.  
  
"I love you so much," she sobbed. Harry pulled her head out of his shoulder so he could look at her.  
  
"You know something?" he asked. Hermione shook her head slightly. "I don't think I could even see myself with anyone except you." He leaned in and kissed her softy. "And I promise you, that if we both survive this war, the first thing I'm doing is making you my wife." Hermione looked at him with tears in her eyes.  
  
"You mean that?" she asked.  
  
"I would never lie to you," he said. "I love you too damn much."   
  
That afternoon, as Harry fell asleep next to Hermione, he felt something he had never felt in his entire life. He hadn't felt it at the Dursley's, and although he said he did, he never really felt it at Hogwarts. There, as he lay in the embrace of the only woman he knew he would ever love, Harry finally, at long last, felt at home.  
  
---------------  
  
Sorry guys, I couldn't help it, I had to write a nice ending to this chapter. HEY YOU SHOULD BE THANKING ME! Lol, after leaving those cliffhangers, I decided to finish this chapter on a lighter note. Oh right, REVIEW!!! I like reviews, they're nice :)  
  
Oh, and what's everyone's opinion on the title of the sixth book? It was released on jkrowling.com a few days ago, if you're smart enough to find it. Those of you who need help, or just want to know the name if you can't figure the door out, review and I may tell you :) Lol, blackmail is fun.  
  
REVIEW YOU SNEEDS!  
  
Oh and btw, I think I'm gonna start posting on Portkey as well as on FanFiction. People seem to get more reviews on there. 


	6. The Tome of the Spellmaker

I hope all of you liked last chapter, it came from the heart :P lol. Anyways, I'm gonna tie up all the loose ends in this chapter, as it'll be the last one before the kids board the Hogwarts Express for the year. Expect to be reading for a while. Enjoy!  
  
The reviews are getting there, it's getting better. Eight, in fact since last chapter. However, I am also going to start posting on Portkey, I'm waiting for approval of my application as I type. I think perhaps I'll be posting some deleted clips that were in my mind from this story, that occur during and in-between chapters.  
  
Supernova – I like the title of the 6th book. I have this sneaking suspicion that it refers to a character we already know (at first I thought it was Harry, but that idea was quashed with her release. I bet it's Malfoy). Oh and what happened to your writing? It's been several weeks since you've updated, you can't leave us hanging!   
  
Aragon1444 – Yes, I was told that I need to make my writing more British a while ago. Rest assured, I'm trying, but as I'm not British, I really have to just go on what JK writes in her books. Hopefully I'll improve (I'm starting to catch more things, such as how 'realized' is spelled 'realised' in the British dictionary).   
  
On with the show!  
  
---  
  
Chapter 6: The Tome of the Spellmaker  
  
The first thing that Harry noticed when he woke was that it was barely light out. Figuring he and Hermione must've slept through the previous day and into the next, he got out of bed carefully, as not to disturb the girl next to him. That plan failed, though, when she stirred and opened her eyes.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked sleepily. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To see if Dumbledore's back from St. Mungo's," Harry replied.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked with her face in her pillow.  
  
"5:30 in the morning. We slept all of yesterday away." Hermione groaned at this, and blindly patted the bed next to her.  
  
"Stay," she mumbled. "It's too early."  
  
"Hermione, I have to find out if Krum's ok."  
  
"It can wait," she said picking her head up and looking at him. "I want to be with you right now." Harry looked back into her eyes and couldn't say no. In secret, he really did want to stay in bed with Hermione, but his sense of duty had told him otherwise. It all went out the window when their eyes locked.  
  
"Ok," he said laying back down next to her. "But only for a few minutes."  
  
"That's all I want," she said. "Harry?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did you mean what you said yesterday before we fell asleep?" Harry looked at Hermione.  
  
"Of course I did," he said. "If it weren't for the fact that we were in this war, I'd ask you to be my wife right now." Hermione nestled her head under Harry's arm. "But we are in this war. The only consolation I can give you is that I promised you yesterday that I would do just that if we lived through this, and I intend on keeping it."  
  
"Well then I'll promise you something too," she whispered.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I promise I won't say no." Harry brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face. She looked up at him and smiled, but saw in his eyes that something was bothering him. "What's wrong?" she asked, scared of what the answer might be.  
  
"I'm so sorry," said Harry pulling her close to him.  
  
"For what?" Hermione's fears were rising.  
  
"For waiting so long last year to fall in love with you," he said. Hermione let her tears slide down her face and pulled her lips to his with all of her love. The two of them lay there for what seemed like an eternity, feeling as though nothing was wrong with the world, when Harry finally pulled away.   
  
"Don't go," Hermione said.  
  
"I have to," Harry said rising from his bed. "I have to know how Krum turned out. You can stay here and sleep."  
  
"Like hell I'm going to stay here and sleep," she said rising to her feet and stretching. "I'm not letting you out of my sight from now on." Harry smiled and kissed her forehead.  
  
"Let's get going then," he said.  
  
The two of them made their way downstairs to find the kitchen occupied by the one person Harry was the least happy to see – Snape, reading the morning prophet.   
  
"Potter, the headmaster has asked me to inform you that when you are ready, you may portkey to St. Mungo's where he is waiting to speak with you," said Snape not shifting his gaze from the newspaper.   
  
"Where's the portkey then?" asked Harry with annoyance in his voice. Instead of answering, Snape merely pointed at the table in front of them, where a large phoenix feather was resting. "Let's go," Harry said to Hermione. He took the feather and held it out for her, and the moment she touched, the two of them zoomed out of the kitchen, without a word of farewell to their potions teacher.  
  
The two of them landed with a 'thud' in the ward that Krum was staying in and were greeted with an all too familiar voice.  
  
"Ah, Harry, Hermione, I was hoping I would be seeing you sometime soon," said Dumbledore from his seat across the room. The two students picked themselves up and brushed off their cloaks.  
  
"Professor," acknowledged Harry. "You wanted to speak to us?"  
  
"Just you, actually, Harry," Dumbledore replied standing up. "I hope you're not too offended Ms. Granger, but I could use a moment alone with Harry here." Hermione pursed her lips and gave a pout in response to this, which in turn received a slight chuckle from Harry.  
  
"What?" she huffed.  
  
"Nothing," he said shaking his head. Hermione looked completely unconvinced. "You just look adorable when you pout," he whispered in her ear. Hermione's cheeks flushed and her facial features relaxed.  
  
"I'll leave you to it then," she said walking out of the waiting room. Harry turned and found Dumbledore beaming at him.  
  
"What is it Professor?" he asked. The headmaster gave a slight sigh a smiled.  
  
"Nothing, Harry. Just an old man lost in thought." Dumbledore sat back down and motioned for Harry to sit next to him, which he did. "We need to talk about certain things." Harry was taken aback by this sentence. In all of his years at Hogwarts, Harry had never been told by the headmaster that he needed to talk to him about things. Preparing for bad news, Harry stiffened.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"As you well remember, I told you that there was a reason that I let Lucius go yesterday morning." Harry nodded his understanding. "I put a transmission charm on him as he escaped."  
  
"What's a transmission charm?" asked Harry.  
  
"It allows the caster to hear everything the person upon whom the charm was cast says, along with anything said to that person," replied Dumbledore.   
  
"Ah."  
  
"Yesterday morning after the trip to Azkaban was over, I overheard a disturbing conversation that Lucius was involved in." Dumbledore made to remove something from his cloak, but Harry realized something and spoke up.  
  
"Professor?" asked Harry. "Is it safe to talk about stuff like this here?"  
  
"Oh, I've had a privacy charm surrounding this entire ward the moment Krum got here," said the headmaster now pulling a small black ball from his cloak. "Now listen carefully Harry, you cannot repeat this information to anyone whom you do not absolutely trust. They enemy cannot know that we are spying on them." Dumbledore tapped the ball with his wand and immediately a voice Harry knew too well came to his ears.  
  
"They've escaped then," said the low hiss of Voldemort.  
  
"Yes, master," replied someone, who Harry assumed was Malfoy.  
  
"With Krum?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And now all 22 death eaters I had there with the exception of you, my slippery friend Lucius, have been either killed or captured?" There was silence following this but Harry could only guess that Lucius had bowed his head in shame.  
  
"Master, I apologize. I have failed."  
  
"The first smart thing you've said today."  
  
"I promise you, I will not fail again."  
  
"Perhaps, but I think I would like some insurance on that promise. CRUCIO!" Immediately Lucius Malfoy's screams filled the waiting room. This lasted for a few moments, then the room became quiet again.  
  
"The last time we went after Potter, he was ready. He was waiting, and we lost loyal people because of it," spat Voldemort. "This time, we will make him come to us. I will give you one chance Lucius. Find me a way to get to Potter, and bring whatever that way is to me. Do this, and I might spare your life."  
  
"Yes, master. You are too kind –"  
  
"Enough with your groveling. Be gone from my sight." With that Dumbledore tapped the black ball with his wand one more time and put it back in his cloak.  
  
"So?" Harry asked. "This isn't news to me, he's been trying to get me to fall into his traps since I was 11."  
  
"Harry, Lucius isn't dumb. I have no doubt that he will have already asked Draco to see what he knows about you. It's not difficult to see what he will try to take to appease Voldemort." Harry's brow furrowed at this, he couldn't imagine why this was any different than before. What did Harry have that Voldemort could be certain would make him walk into a trap?  
  
"I don't follow you," said Harry drawing a blank. The headmaster's expression became grave.  
  
"He's going to go after Hermione, Harry."  
  
Silence. That was the only word that could be used to describe the waiting room after that sentence. Fear flooded through Harry as he realized just how true Dumbledore's statement was.  
  
"Well we have to protect her then," he said quickly. "I won't let her out of my sight, I should go and get her now and –"  
  
"Harry do not worry. Hermione is perfectly safe here in St. Mungo's, you needn't be alarmed. I am telling you this, however, so that you can be prepared."  
  
"And how exactly can we be prepared for an attack on Hermione that could come at any time? " Harry retorted.  
  
"I do believe I sent you a rather useful birthday present that might be able to fulfil such a purpose," said Dumbledore twinkling away madly. "I assume you haven't tried using it yet?"  
  
"The tome..." said Harry. "What exactly does it do? I mean, I would assume that it tells us how to make new spells, but what exactly does it do?"  
  
"The book contains in its pages the very essence of magic. You will find that you will need to use the everything the book offers in order to create a new magic," Dumbledore replied. "I have no doubt, however, that you and Ms. Granger will be able to devise a way of protecting yourselves."  
  
"Sir, why can't you just expel Draco? It would make more sense to not have him around and endangering Hermione....or myself for that matter," Harry muttered the last part under his breath. To his surprise though, Dumbledore simply smiled at him.  
  
"Draco will not be expelled because he not a lost cause," the headmaster replied. "I know for a fact that he does not entirely envy his father. Draco may be scheduled to be marked by the end of the year, but that doesn't mean that there isn't someone who may be able to show him the error of both his and his father's ways."  
  
"Yeah, and who precisely could that be?" asked Harry his voice dripping with sarcasm. Dumbledore's twinkle increased after this sentence.  
  
"I have a slight feeling as to who it might be, but as I'm not entirely sure, I'm not going to tell you, in fear of getting your hopes down," he said smiling.  
  
"You know, Albus," began Harry stressing the headmaster's name. "You did say that you would tell me the things I wanted to know."  
  
"Yes, but if you'll recall what I told you after your induction, it will be a lot more fun for you to figure it out on your own. And I daresay that we need more fun in this day and age." Harry couldn't help but smile in spite of himself, and nodded.  
  
"One other thing, headmaster," he said. "During his induction, Krum said something about a torch of green fire. What exactly does it do that would make Voldemort so eager to welcome a coward back into his ranks?"  
  
"The Green Flame Torch, as it's been called, is the source of all dark magic in this world. It is what gives strength to all of the dark curses out there. Undoubtedly, if Karkaroff had managed to find it and give it to Voldemort, the dark lord would indeed have become invincible," the headmaster replied grimly.  
  
"Then why not destroy it?" asked Harry.  
  
"Because it would unbalance everything in the world, Harry," Dumbledore replied. "There cannot be evil without good, and visa versa. I'll be happy to show it to you sometime, letting its power enter your body can help in understanding exactly how evil works. I confess, I used its power once upon a time myself."  
  
"Defeating Grindlewald?" asked Harry. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"You've been reading my chocolate frog card, haven't you?" Harry smiled.  
  
"I read it once or twice back when Ron, Hermione, and I were trying to figure out who Nicolas Flamel was." Dumbledore chuckled at the memory of Harry's first year adventure.  
  
"Yes, I used power from the Green Flame Torch to kill Grindlewald. However, I daresay you won't be able to do the same with Voldemort, seeing as how you can't duel with him."  
  
"Yeah about that," Harry interjected. "How AM I supposed to kill him if we can't duel properly?"  
  
"I think Harry, that you will learn the answer to that when the time finally comes," answered the headmaster. Harry understood that that was the end of that particular conversation. "I think you should go and see Viktor before Hermione comes back, he said he wanted to talk to you privately before Ms. Granger joined you."   
  
"Ok," said Harry standing up. "Thanks for telling me what I need to know, Albus." The headmaster stood next to the raven-haired boy and smiled.  
  
"I may make bad decisions, but a fool I'm not," said Dumbledore. "I now know what the consequences are of keeping vital information from you. Rest assured that I have learned from my mistake, and have become wiser because of it."  
  
"It's hard to believe that the great Albus Dumbledore could become any wiser," said Harry shaking the headmaster's hand. Dumbledore twinkled at Harry.  
  
"As much as I would like to accept your kind words, there are a few wizards out there who either already have or will easily surpass my wisdom or power in their lifetimes."  
  
"Like who?" asked Harry in disbelief.  
  
"Certainly Tom Riddle is more powerful than I," replied Dumbledore almost lazily.  
  
"Sure he is," said Harry with a sarcastic nod. "Anyone else?"  
  
"I daresay that you and Ms. Granger will more than surpass my knowledge and power respectively before all of this is over." Harry stood there looking at Dumbledore with a blank expression on his face. Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "But I digress, I'll go retrieve Ms. Granger. Go in and see Viktor." And with that he turned and walked from the waiting room.   
  
Harry stood there in silence, watching the retreating back of the headmaster. Surely he had been joking. Harry Potter, more powerful than Albus Dumbledore? Harry chuckled to himself at the thought and dismissed it as a joke by his eccentric headmaster. He walked back through the doctor's area to Krum's room and stepped inside, where Viktor was sitting up in his bed reading over what looked to be lesson plans.  
  
"Glad to see you're feeling ok," Harry said sitting down next to Krum. He looked up from his work and smiled at Harry.  
  
"Yes, vell, I'm glad you haff come," said Viktor through his thick accent. Harry nodded.  
  
"Dumbledore said you wished to speak with me privately?"  
  
"Yes," Krum said. "I vanted to thank you."  
  
"For what?" asked Harry slightly surprised. This earned a chuckle from the Bulgarian seeker.  
  
"For saving my life," Krum said. "Dumbledore told me that you had seen my kidnaping in a dream, and because of that, you vere able to save me before I vas harmed beyond recognition." Harry lowered his head and blushed slightly.  
  
"It was nothing, really."  
  
"Bollocks," said Krum smiling. Harry looked up, taken aback that his future Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would use such language. "I owe you my life."  
  
"You own me nothing of the sort," replied Harry. "Just don't assign any ten-scroll long papers this year. Although Hermione would probably love it, come to think of it...." Harry added as an afterthought. He looked up and saw Krum smiling at him. "She's standing right behind me, isn't she?"  
  
"As much as you would like to believe it, I do NOT like doing homework," Hermione said angrily. Harry looked behind him with his eyes wide.  
  
"You don't like homework?" he asked unconvinced. "Since when?"  
  
"Since ever," she replied. "I only like reading and studying because it makes me feel good about myself. Although homework does help me get good exam results, so I guess in a sense there's nothing wrong with it......"  
  
"Whew," said Harry with relief. "I was scared that you had been abducted and were actually someone else using polyjuice." She hit Harry on the arm lightly and sat down next to him.  
  
"How are you feeling Viktor?" she asked.  
  
"A little drained, but othervise ok," he said leaning back in his bed.  
  
"I can imagine," said Hermione. "So tell me..." Hermione and Viktor's conversation faded from Harry's attention as he became lost in his thoughts. He sat there looking at Hermione wondering how to tell her that she was going to be a target for abduction. Worry ran rampant through his mind, wondering what he would do if he ever lost her. The image of her body laying dead in a dark room crossed his mind, and brought tears to his eyes.  
  
"Harry? Are you ok?" Hermione asked noticing that his eyes were watering.  
  
"Huh?" asked Harry snapping out of his reverie. "Oh, yeah I'm fine," he said wiping his eyes.  
  
"Maybe we should go," said Hermione. "I hope you don't mind us leaving like this Viktor."  
  
"Not at all," Krum replied. "It vas nice to be visited by you Herm-own-ninny. You too Harry. Thank you for effrything."  
  
"It was nothing," said Harry getting up. "Really."  
  
"We'll be back to visit you soon, Viktor," said Hermione now standing next to Harry.  
  
"Don't go out ov your vay to see me," Krum said grinning.  
  
"It's not out of our way, and we're happy to see you," she said. "Hope you feel better!"  
  
"Thanks," said Krum and Harry and Hermione exited the room.  
  
===  
  
"Harry what's wrong?" asked Hermione as they each sat down on Harry's bed back at Grimmauld Place.  
  
"Hermione," he said pulling her into an embrace.  
  
"What is it?" she asked. "What's happened?" Harry drew away and looked into her eyes.  
  
"You remember how Dumbledore said that he let Lucius Malfoy get away on purpose? That night when I was at Azkaban?"  
  
"Mmhmm," Hermione nodded. "Why?"  
  
"He put some sort of spying charm on him. He overheard a conversation between Malfoy and Voldemort, and played it back to me using some sort of small black ball."  
  
"A recording bit," said Hermione. "I've used them before to help take notes in class."  
  
"Yes, well," said Harry resuming. "I heard the conversation. Voldemort threatened Malfoy with his life if he didn't find a way to bait me to him."  
  
"This isn't news though," said Hermione. "He's been trying that since you were 11."  
  
"I know," said Harry. "I thought the same thing at first. Then Dumbledore told me what he was going to go after. That's what really scares me." Hermione looked at him questioningly. Then after a moment, realization spread across her face and she moved her hand to cover her mouth.   
  
"I.....he means me?" she whispered. Harry, not able to speak, simply nodded. "Oh my...." Hermione's face fell and she put her head in her hands. Harry saw this and put an arm around her in comfort.  
  
"I won't let them get you," he said resolutely. "I promise."  
  
"I know, Harry, it's just....well...I'm not used to being a target," she said shaking slightly.  
  
"Welcome to my world," he said with a weak smile. She looked up at him and kissed him passionately.   
  
"I don't know how you can do it," she whispered, her face inches from his. Harry shrugged.  
  
"You get used to it eventually. Besides, we have enough warning this time to prepare ourselves." Hermione looked at him with question etched in her eyes. "Dumbledore said that we should use my birthday present to come up with something suitable to defend ourselves with." Hermione's eyes widened with understanding.  
  
"Of course!" she said getting up and rushing over to Harry's trunk. "We can create spells now," she said pulling the book out and walking back over to the bed. She laid it out and opened it to the table of contents. "That's what we need," she said. "Creating a new spell, page 26." She leafed through the book until she found what they were looking for.   
  
"This doesn't seem so hard," commented Harry from her side. "Looks like we just have to log the spell in the book with a description, and make a potion."  
  
"Yeah," said Hermione. "I really thought it would've been a little harder than that." She said reading the potion instructions. "Oh."  
  
"What?" Harry asked squinting at the tiny print that was the potion ingredients.   
  
"No wonder," she breathed. "It's a blood potion."   
  
"Blood potion?" Harry asked.  
  
"It's a potion that requires the use of a wizard's blood," she said. "It makes sense, if you think about it. It's theorized that the magic power that we posses runs in our blood, so in order to create new magic, it's only logical that old magic would have to be already present."  
  
"Why is that so bad?" asked Harry.  
  
"Blood alchemy is very dangerous, Harry," she said. "It's almost as dangerous as fooling around with time."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's extraordinarily powerful," Hermione said. "If there's not enough blood the potion can become poison. Too much......." Hermione's voice faded.  
  
"What?"   
  
"There have been some cases in history where the drinker has...well...exploded." Harry's eyes widened.  
  
"Exploded?" he asked. "As in blown up?"  
  
"Yes, and that's not all. The people who were around the drinker that were touch by the...entrails," she shivered as the thought crossed her mind. "–were burned as if the blood that touched them was an acid. There was a case where about 35 people were killed, and another fifteen or so were badly injured."  
  
"Ah," said Harry, hesitation apparently in his voice.  
  
"Listen Harry, if you don't want to do it–"  
  
"No," he retorted regaining control of his voice box. "One, if it will protect you then I'm willing to do it. Two, as long as you're making the potion, I doubt anything will go wrong." Hermione blushed slightly at the compliment.  
  
"Well let's get started on it then," she said. "The potion takes two weeks to make, and we need to be able to think of a suitable purpose for a spell in that time." Harry nodded and Hermione immediately summoned Dobby to start collecting the ingredients for her.  
  
===  
  
A week and a half had passed since Hermione had begun to brew the potion. She and Harry had been back to visit Krum a couple of times, but their attention had been more focused on the task they had undertaken. Although they had ideas on what a good spell would be, they had yet to decide what it would actually do. They were talking about it over breakfast the morning before they were to add the final ingredient to the potion: Harry's blood.  
  
"We should really know what we're going to have it do before we cut you open," she said. "I still feel bad enough that it's your blood we're using and not mine." Harry and Hermione had had an argument over this a few days earlier. Hermione, being the one to brew the potion, wanted to use her own blood, but Harry would hear none of it. He blatantly refused to let her hurt herself, and made a point that he was more used to cuts and bruises and such.  
  
"Well, it needs to keep you safe," he said. "Some kind of spell that we can cast that will prevent you from being in danger." They were both silent for a minute until the light went off in Hermione's head.  
  
"I've got it!" she said, her face lighting up. "We can make the spell send us to the safest place possible." Harry's face broke into a smile when he heard her say 'us'.  
  
"Will it work?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, we just need to want to make it work," she responded. "We should go and write down the theory in the book like we're supposed to, while the idea is still fresh." Harry nodded and summoned the tome into the kitchen from his room. He conjured a quill with ink and handed it to Hermione.  
  
"Ok," she said flipping to the spell index. "We're supposed to write down the name of the spell, along with the incantation, the classification, and the description of what it does."  
  
"Well, it'll be a charm, won't it?" Harry asked. "It doesn't seem to me that it would be a jinx, a hex, or a curse, so it must be a charm, right?"  
  
"Those aren't the only classes of spells Harry, but yes, it will be a charm," Hermione responded writing in the book. "What will the incantation be?" she asked. "The book said that it should be related to the purpose of the spell, as long as it's easy to distinguish. Latin, or a variant of some sort, is a good idea," she finished. Harry nodded and summoned his birthday present from Remus to him.  
  
"Well safety is 'salus'," Harry said looking at the dictionary.   
  
"There won't be anything under transportation," Hermione said. "I already checked."  
  
"What then?" Harry asked.  
  
"Try escape," she said still writing in the book.  
  
"Escape...." Harry leafed through the book. "Evolo."  
  
"Perfect," said Hermione writing in the book. "Salus Evolo. What are we actually commanding the spell to do?"  
  
"Well we need to make sure that the spell will affect both of us," Harry said. "But it can't include our immediate surroundings, because that might cause whoever is attacking you to be brought with us." Hermione nodded.  
  
"How about, to send the caster and the one person the caster wants with them the most to the safest place possible along with the belongings that the caster truly needs?"  
  
"Isn't that really complex though?" asked Harry sipping on his butterbeer.  
  
"Yes, but with practice it should be fine," Hermione replied not stopping her writing.  
  
"This isn't really a spell we can practice, Hermione. What if we get sent to a place we can't come back from easily?" Harry asked. Hermione stopped and looked up at him, biting her lower lip.  
  
"I guess we'll just have to trust our instincts," she said.  
  
"I don't want to fool around when it comes to your safety, Hermione. Isn't there any way we can make sure we know how to do it beforehand?"  
  
"Well......I suppose we could try an anti-apparition field, like the one Dumbledore created last year," she said.   
  
At that exact moment, Ron floated through the door to the basement, followed closely by Ginny.  
  
"Hey, Moody told us you were down here–" Ron began as Harry and Hermione looked up at him. "What are you two doing?" Hermione gave Harry a nervous glance, neither sure whether to tell Ron and Ginny the truth.  
  
"It's obviously something very important," Ginny noted. "They're trying to figure out whether to tell us or not."  
  
"Fine we'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else, especially while we're at Hogwarts," Hermione said. Ron and Ginny both nodded eagerly and took a seat across from the two teens.   
  
An hour later, the story telling was all over, and Ron and Ginny sat there speechless.  
  
"Well I can help you with your problem," Ron said. "Don't forget us ghosts have some very useful magic that we can cast up our sleeves."  
  
"I'm curious," Ginny interrupted. "What's this about Draco not being all bad?"  
  
"I have absolutely no idea," confessed Harry. "Dumbledore was going on about how it might be possible for someone to show Draco his errors in life, or something like that." Ginny nodded her head in understanding.  
  
"So how can you help us Ron?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well ghosts can latch onto a person and keep them from going anywhere. Can't disapperate, can't use a spell to get out, nothing. I know that Dumbledore can do it too," Ron said.  
  
"So what will happen if you do this, and then we cast the spell?" asked Harry.  
  
"You'll feel as if you're trying to move, but are glued to the floor. Nothing bad will happen, it'll just feel like you're encased in cement and can't move."  
  
"Sounds harmless to me," Harry said. "We should get ready Hermione, we need to add my blood in a few minutes."  
  
"Whoa whoa whoa!" exclaimed Ron. "Blood alchemy? You do know how risky that is right?"  
  
"Harry and I have gone over this again and again, and we're sure that we're doing everything accurately," said Hermione. "Besides, Dumbledore gave us this book for a reason, I'm sure he thinks us capable of not committing any fatal errors."  
  
"I guess you're right," conceded Ron. "Just be careful."  
  
"You sound like Hermione," chuckled Harry. Hermione swatted and him with a grin.   
  
"Ok Harry, pull up your sleeve," she said drawing her wand from her robes. He obliged and Hermione conjured a small vile, similar to the one Wormtail had used to collect his blood in the fourth year. "I'll try not to make this hurt too much," she said. She muttered a few words under her breath and the tip of her wand glowed white. Carefully, she placed the tip against Harry's bare skin and drew it down his arm slightly. Harry winced as a cut was made and blood started to flow from the wound.  
  
"It needs to be deeper," Ron commented from the corner. "Don't forget, you need a good amount of blood for this, and we don't want to have Harry bleeding for an hour you know." Hermione glared at Ron and looked at Harry.  
  
"It's ok," he said. "It's not all that bad." Hermione nodded and flicked her wand slightly. Immediately the cut went deeper into Harry's arm and he drew a sharp breath. Blood was now pouring freely from the wound, and Hermione had Ginny summon the blood into the vile. When the tube was almost full, Hermione stopped and sealed the wound with a flick of her wand. She immediately wrapped her arms around Harry in a hug.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said.  
  
"For what?" asked Harry nonplussed.  
  
"For hurting you," she said.   
  
"Don't worry about it, let's just get this potion made. And carefully too, I might add, as I'm the one drinking it."  
  
"I know," Hermione said. "Ginny, can I have the vile?" Ginny handed the vile to Hermione and she drew marks on it with her wand. Walking over to a closet in the back of the kitchen, she opened the door and revealed the cauldron containing the potion, sitting on a small iron grate above a fire. Eyeing the vile carefully, she pointed her wand at it and muttered words causing blood to slowly vanish from it until there was a specific amount remaining.  
  
"Ok, if I use the right amount, the potion will turn a bright white and emit some sparks and steam, before settling again," she said. "Here goes." With that she emptied the vile into the cauldron. Just as she had predicted, the potion turned white and emitted sparks and steam before settling down again. She turned to find the other three members in the room beaming at her.  
  
"I always said she was genius," said Harry.  
  
"I always said she was mental," replied Ron grinning. Hermione shot him a glare, but knowing he was joking, her expression softened quickly.  
  
"We have to let it sit for three days before you can drink it," she said. "We still need a name for the spell."  
  
"How about the Fleeing Charm?" asked Ron. "I know it doesn't sound very chivalrous, but it's what it does."  
  
"I like it," said Harry, impressed that Ron had an idea that neither him nor Hermione had been able to come up with. He looked at Hermione and she nodded, writing in the Tome of the Spellmaker again.   
  
"Oh!" exclaimed Ginny digging through her pockets. "I completely forgot the reason that we came down here looking for you anyway." Ron's face suddenly sported a huge grin and he floated over to Ginny.  
  
"What?" asked Harry and Hermione.  
  
"I've got them here somewhere...." Ginny mumbled. "Ah! Here they are." She procured two envelopes sealed with the Hogwarts crest from her robes and handed them to Harry and Hermione. "Don't get all excited at once now, you hear?"  
  
"Do you know what these say?" asked Hermione somewhat disgruntled that someone might know what was in her post before she did.  
  
"Of course," Ron said smiling. "We had Moody tell us what they said when we went to find him to tell us where you were." Hermione's jaw dropped at this.  
  
"That's a very rude thing to do, Ron," she said.  
  
"Yeah, but it was worth it," said Ginny. "Go on, open them!" Harry looked at Hermione and they nodded to each other, opening the envelopes at the same time. Their eyes grew wide at about the same time while they were reading and they looked up at Ron and Ginny.  
  
"Isn't it grand?" asked Ron. "Head Boy and Girl, I can't wait to tell Fred and George about this."  
  
"Oh Harry!" Hermione squealed throwing herself at him. "We're Head Boy and Girl! Oh it's so wonderful."  
  
"I don't believe it," said Harry in awe. "I wasn't even a prefect. Why aren't you Head Boy, Ron?"  
  
"Well it's not like I'm a prefect anymore, considering I'm not even alive. I'd have to say that having the Head Boy alive is much more preferable. Besides, I like rooming with Dean, Seamus, and Neville just fine, thank you." Harry's brow furrowed in confusion.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked. Ron and Ginny looked at each other and grinned.  
  
"Finish reading your letter," Ron said. Harry finished reading his letter while Hermione was going on about how she was sooooooooo proud of Harry to make Head Boy and nearly fell out of his chair when he got to the part that Ron had been referring to.  
  
"Hermione," Harry said pulling her up to look at him. "Read this." Hermione read the part that Harry was pointing at and looked at him as if he were daft.  
  
"Of course we have our own rooms now," she said. "The Head Boy and Girl have always had separate rooms from the rest of the students to ensure privacy and peace."  
  
"Hogwarts, a History?" asked Harry.  
  
"Naturally," she replied. "You really should read it sometime it's quite–"  
  
"Why read it when you can recite it to me for memory?" asked Harry smiling. Hermione swatted at him and gave him a quick kiss.  
  
"Ahem," said Ron. "Perhaps we should be going. Ginny?"   
  
"Right behind you," she said as they left the kitchen leaving Hermione sitting on Harry's lap.   
  
"Our own rooms," said Harry smiling mischievously. "It even says they have connecting doors?"  
  
"And private bathrooms attached," whispered Hermione into his ear. Her talking in that voice to him was enough to make his blood pressure rise. Hermione noticed this and grinned. "You have no idea how amazing this year is going to be, Harry."  
  
"I've got a slight idea," he said. "Where are they anyway? How come I've never seen them before?"  
  
"You can only see the doors to the rooms if you're Head Boy or Head Girl," Hermione said. "There are two in each house, in case the Head Boy or Girl are in that house. You'll see when we get there. There are two rooms just like the one's that we'll be living in in each of the other house areas. Naturally though, they won't be occupied since there are only one Head Boy and Head Girl each year. In Gryffindor, they're each at the top of the respective dormitory towers and are connected up there."  
  
"You really do know everything about Hogwarts, don't you?" Harry asked smiling.  
  
"Not nearly everything, but I try to know everything that's been written about the school," she said. "I'm sure there's plenty about the school that I know nothing about."  
  
"I'm not sure," replied Harry. "Don't forget I have the Marauder's Map, and that shows everything in the school. You seem to know everything as it is." Hermione blushed and they left the kitchen to go find Ron and Ginny.  
  
===  
  
Three days later Harry and Hermione were standing at the closet facing their potion, with Ron, Ginny, Dumbledore, and much to Harry and Hermione's disdain, Snape, behind them. The potion had long since cooled and Hermione brought it out onto the table for Snape to examine.  
  
"Is everything satisfactory Severus?" asked Dumbledore while Snape was checking the potion.  
  
"It seems to have been brewed correctly," Snape drawled. "How much blood did you use?"  
  
"Three ounces," Hermione replied.   
  
"Exactly how many spells are you planning on making?" asked Snape with arrogance.  
  
"Well I figured it would be best to brew a big batch all at once, since it doesn't spoil," said Hermione with a slight air of annoyance. "Since we probably won't use this book only once." Snape let out a low growl but said nothing. Dumbledore beamed at Hermione.  
  
"Excellent work Ms. Granger," he said. "You may go now Severus." Snape nodded and left the kitchen. "I must say, you've done an excellent job on this. What is the spell that you are creating?"  
  
"It's called the Fleeing Charm, aptly named by Ron," said Harry smiling. Ron let out a snort but kept to himself while the other four chuckled. "The incantation is Salus Evolo, and it will transport the caster and whatever belongings the caster needs with him or her, along with one person of the caster's choice to the safest place possible."  
  
"A bit complicated for a first attempt, I must admit," said Dumbledore peering over his half moon spectacles. "But I'll assume that you have found a way to practice it?"  
  
"Yes, Ron said he can help us with that," said Hermione. Dumbledore looked at Ron.  
  
"I've practiced my holding techniques," he said. "I won't let them transport themselves to who knows where."  
  
"Still," said Dumbledore. "I'd like to be present when you first try it, just to make sure nothing goes wrong." Ron huffed but agreed along with Harry and Hermione.   
  
"Well," said Hermione looking at the potion. "It's ready." Harry nodded and conjured a flask into which Hermione laded some of the potion. "After you drink it, wait for the shaking to pass and then put your wand on the name of the spell in the Tome, and speak the words Magus Erogo." Harry nodded and swirled the white liquid around in the flask.  
  
"Well," he said with resolve. "I hope you did this right Hermione. Bottoms up." And with that he drained the contents of the beaker. The first thing he felt was heat travel throughout his body, much like when one imbibes alcohol. Then the shaking started. It was dull vibrations at first but quickly increased to that of a seizure. Harry fell to the ground and the other four rushed over to him.  
  
"Is he ok?" asked Ginny frantically.  
  
"He should be in a moment," said Hermione. "This potion does awful things to one's body, even when brewed properly." Again, Hermione was right, for a few moments later the violent spasms stopped and Harry sat up, visibly shaken.  
  
"That was not pleasant," he said standing with the aid of Hermione. "Where's the book?"  
  
"Right here," she said pulling it towards him. "Remember, Magus Erogo." Harry nodded and drew his wand from his robes. Placing the tip on the words "The Fleeing Charm," he drew a breath and spoke.  
  
"Magus Erogo." Immediately his body glowed a bright red, and for a moment, it just stayed like that. Then, all of a sudden, the red glow was funneled down through his right arm, through his wand, and into the words on the page of the book. The words of the spell, including everything else that Hermione had written about the spell glowed white momentarily, then faded back to black. After that, Harry collapsed to the floor, unconscious.  
  
---  
  
Well I hope you all liked it, it took me long enough to write. Sorry to leave a cliffie like this, but it's not nearly as bad as it could've been. Don't worry the next chapter will finally at long last set the plot for the story. I promise to have it up by sometime next week, and I hope you all enjoy my writing.  
  
A/N: By the way, I did my research this time. The latin in this chapter is accurate, I found a dictionary online, so no complaints! :)  
  
REVIEWS.....YUM.......... 


	7. Beginnings

Well folks, I'll be the first to admit it, I'm pleased with the reviews. I'm glad to see that some of you have taken my efforts to heart, and that you're reviewing.  
  
Unfortunately, there isn't much to say right now, except that this chapter is a pretty long one. Oh, and that I was accepted by Portkey, so you can check over there too in case I ever decide to post any NC-17 works (there will be some eventually). I have nothing else to say this time, so read on!  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter Seven: Beginnings  
  
The first thing that Harry noticed when he awoke was that he felt completely drained of all energy and couldn't open his eyes. The second was a slight weight on his left hand, which he assumed was Hermione. Using almost all of his energy, he opened an eye slightly enough to confirm that it was her. Closing his eye again, he did the one thing he felt capable of doing in his present state, and that was give her hand a slight squeeze.  
  
"Harry?" she asked softly. He gave her hand another squeeze. "I'm so sorry." A harder squeeze this time. "I should've know this would happen. I was so scared at first that the spell had pulled your life into the book with the magic." A soft squeeze. "There's a potion here that will give you your energy back," she said. "You need to be conscious when you take it. Do you have enough energy to swallow?" Harry barely had enough energy to think about that question at the moment, but he squeezed her hand anyway. Hermione reached for a small bottle from the nightstand and opened it. Leaning over him, she placed a quick kiss on his lips and he managed to open his mouth slightly. She emptied the potion into his mouth, and mustering all of his energy, he swallowed.   
  
It took about ten seconds for Harry's eyes to shoot open, and he sat straight up in bed.  
  
"Whoa," he said blinking. "What was that?"  
  
"A simple replenishing draught," Hermione replied stoppering the bottle and replacing it on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Better now," Harry replied. "How long have I been out?"  
  
"About a day and a half," she said.   
  
"So what'd I miss?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing important," she replied. "Dumbledore's checked in on you a few times, Ron's been in a lot too, he actually just popped out for moment to speak to Fred and George."  
  
"So when can we start practicing the spell?" he asked. "Assuming everything worked, of course."  
  
"Everything worked perfectly Harry, but we have time to practice later. You shouldn't stress yourself so soon after recovering," Hermione said.  
  
"You sound like Madam Pomfrey," he said. "I have enough energy to know that I'm okay to start working on this. Besides, your safety is more important."  
  
"When will you stop saying that?" Hermione asked sadly.  
  
"When I die," Harry replied in earnest. "Where's Ron?"  
  
"Right here," said the ghost drifting through the closed door. "Moody told me you had just woken up. I expect Dumbledore will be up here soon too."  
  
"Ron, have you ever considered knocking?" asked Harry with a grin.  
  
"You know full well that I can't knock, so if you're asking whether I've considered shouting before I enter a room, no I haven't," Ron replied with his trademark lopsided grin. "Afraid I might walk in on you?"  
  
"Yes, to be quite frank," said Harry standing up and stretching. "Anyways, I want to get to practicing the spell. You said Dumbledore should be here soon?"  
  
"Yeah, Moody said he'd floo him after I left, he should be along soon."  
  
"So Ron," began Hermione. "How exactly does your magic work? I don't want to get myself or Harry splinched or anything."  
  
"Well all magic that ghosts use, like house-elves, is wandless," said Ron. "Have you ever wondered why that is?"  
  
"Now that you mention it, no," said Hermione thoughtfully.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure what energy source house-elves use, but us ghosts channel souls, whether it be someone else's or their own," Ron continued. "We have ties to every single soul in existence, being that we reside partially on the ethereal planes. When I created that shockwave, I was channeling energy from myself and sending it out in the form of a power wave. In this case, I'll use my ties to your souls to hold them in place. I can make it so that you can move your arms, but if you tried to move anything else, it'll feel like you're being held to the ground, just like I said earlier."  
  
"I never knew that," said Hermione in awe. "It makes sense doesn't it?"  
  
"You not knowing something?" asked Ron incredulously. "That makes no sense at all."  
  
"Ha ha," she said with sarcasm running rampant in her voice. "You know what I was talking about."  
  
"Yeah, but it was funnier this way," said Ron.  
  
"You've been awfully quiet Harry," Hermione said looking at him.  
  
"I've missed seeing you two row," he said with sincerity. "I was hoping that if I didn't interfere that one might spawn of its own accord." Hermione hit him on the arm and put on her best pout.   
  
"That wasn't even technically a row," she said frowning.  
  
"Aw come on, you know I didn't mean it," Harry replied. He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips on her expression changed to a grin.  
  
"Please don't do that while I'm here," said Ron feigning sickness. "Dry heaving isn't something I really enjoy experiencing." Harry had his mouth open ready to retort, but at that moment came a knock from the door, so it had to wait for another time.  
  
"Who is it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Someone who could use a sherbet lemon," came the voice of Albus Dumbledore through Harry's bedroom door. Hermione crossed the room and opened the door to allow the headmaster in, who was presently searching his robes for something. "Pity, I seem to be all out. Thank you Hermione. And how are you feeling, Harry?" asked Dumbledore walking over next to Harry.  
  
"Well enough," came the boy's response. "I want to start practicing right away." Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"I assumed as much," he said. "Do you really feel up to practicing magic? Especially new magic with no theory to help you out?"  
  
"If I didn't want to I wouldn't have brought it up," said Harry.  
  
"Wanting and feeling are two entirely different things," said the headmaster. Harry sighed and looked at him.  
  
"I have enough energy to start on this," he said. "I want to have it mastered before we go back to Hogwarts in a week. For all we know we could get attacked while on the train."  
  
"However unlikely that is, I won't rule out that it's a possibility," said Dumbledore. "Very well, you can start practicing, however I am going to stay here for the first time, just to make sure that you don't splinch yourselves in case Mr. Weasley isn't able to hold you in place." Ron scoffed at this.  
  
"I am more than capable of using my own abilities, thank you," he snorted.  
  
"I have no doubt of that Ron," Dumbledore said. "But as you've seen before, Harry is more than capable of out-powering other wizards if he wants to, and sometimes even if he doesn't want to." Ron thought for a moment then nodded in defeat. Harry blushed slightly.  
  
"I'm really not all that powerful," he said bashfully. All of the other heads in the room turned to look at him. "I'm not!" he said with colors rising in his cheeks.  
  
"Oh...that's right," said Hermione with a sick grin. "Fending off over a hundred dementors in our third year requires absolutely no skill or power whatsoever. My mistake." Harry bowed his head and suppressed a nervous smile.  
  
"She is quite right Harry. You are much more powerful than you let on, you simply have yet to discover it," said the headmaster twinkling away."  
  
"Duly noted," said Harry, his face returning to its original color. "Now can we get started on this?"  
  
"I don't see why not," said Dumbledore. "After I see that Ron is able to hold the two of you in place, I will leave you three to practice on your own."  
  
"Ok," said Hermione letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "We should both practice it, since we both should be able to use it," she said to Harry, who nodded. Ron rubbed his hands together.  
  
"So who's going to start us off?" he asked. Harry and Hermione looked at each other.  
  
"Ladies first," Harry said with a smile. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and pulled out her wand. She looked at Dumbledore who nodded.  
  
"Whenever you're ready, Ms. Granger," he said. Hermione nodded and raised her wand, but then paused.  
  
"How exactly do I cast it?" she asked.  
  
"Simply concentrate on what you want the spell to do," said the headmaster. "That, more often than not, is a way to cast most spells quite efficiently." Hermione nodded and held her wand in front of her. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip in concentration, which forced Harry to resist his urge to snog her and that bottom lip of hers senseless right then and now.   
  
"Salus Evolo," she said. Immediately Harry felt as though an invisible hand was trying to pull him off the ground, but he was glued to the spot. The feeling became stronger, as if the hand was using more force, but his body stayed immoble. After a few moments, the pressure subsided and Harry was able to move around again.  
  
"Very good Ms. Granger," said Dumbledore with a smile. "In one attempt too, although I admit, it didn't surprise me that much." Hermione blushed and looked at Ron.  
  
"Was that you holding us there the entire time?"  
  
"Yep," said Ron proudly. "I told you I could do it."  
  
"Perhaps we let Harry try once before I leave you to it," said Dumbledore. Harry nodded and took his own wand from his robes. Thinking, he closed his eyes and thought solely of Hermione.  
  
"Salus Evolo," he said. Instantly the force trying to pull him off the ground appeared again, but this time it was much stronger. He felt himself be pulled slightly backwards this time before being held in place. Again, after a few moments the pressure subsided and the first thing Harry noticed was a visibly exhausted Ron.  
  
"You weren't joking Professor," Ron said breathing heavily.   
  
"Did he manage to hold us by himself?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes, but only just," replied the headmaster. "Ron was taken aback slightly by Harry's force." Harry's face reddened slightly at this.  
  
"You alright Ron?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, just a little surprised, that's all," he said. "Was that good enough, Professor?"  
  
"I'd prefer to see you do it one more time, just to make sure that there are no falters in your thoughts this time," replied Dumbledore. The three of them nodded and Harry raised his wand again.  
  
"Salus Evolo," he said once more. The invisible hand was back, and again he felt as though he was going to be pulled off the ground, but this time his body didn't move at all. Ron seemed to have control of the situation, and after a few seconds the invisible force disappeared once more.   
  
"Much better," said the headmaster. "And now, if you'll forgive me, I have some business to attend to back at Hogwarts. After you feel confident with just using the spells on yourselves, I suggest practice targeting belongings as well. Make sure you create Impenetrable Charms around them, as Ron will not be able to hold them in place."  
  
"Thank you Professor," said Harry.   
  
"Yes, thanks," added Hermione. The headmaster waled over to the door and turned.  
  
"As you continue to practice, the spell will become more consistent and more powerful. I daresay you powers will improve as well, Ron," Dumbledore said. "I would wish you good luck, although I daresay you really don't need it." With that he gave them a small smile, opened the door, and departed, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Well," said Ron turning back to the other two. "Let's have another go at this, shall we?"  
  
=====  
  
The last week before the trio's seventh year passed by fairly quickly and without much event. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been practicing their new spell non-stop, and it turned out to be just as beneficial, if not more to Ron than the other two.   
  
"I'm getting really good at this," he said after Harry had just attempted the spell again. They had moved onto concentrating on material objects, just as Dumbledore had suggested. As a result, both Harry and Hermione found that they were exerting more power into the spell, as their trunks were now also included in their spell. This had effectively caused Ron to have to use more of his strength to hold Harry and Hermione there, but found as the week progressed that his power was steadily increasing.  
  
"Just don't get cocky and slip up," said Harry lowering his wand.   
  
"Let's take a break, shall we?" asked Hermione. The other two nodded and she conjured up two glasses of ice-cold lemonade for her and Harry. Ron audibly groaned at this.  
  
"What?" asked Harry taking a sip.  
  
"Yet another thing I miss about life," Ron started. "Is my mother's lemonade. Best that you could ever taste. She grew a lemon tree in the woods behind the house so that her lemons were ripe and hand-picked."  
  
"Couldn't she have just conjured a tree instead of growing one?" asked Hermione sitting on Harry's bed.  
  
"I suppose, but she always had a thing for gardening anyway. Said it took her mind off the more stressful things in life," Ron replied shrugging. They were almost done with their drinks when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Who is it?" asked Harry.  
  
"Me," growled Moody from the other side of the entrance. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Moody's antics and went to let him in. Upon opening the door he found Moody with his wand pointed right between Harry's eyes. Surprised, Harry stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor. Moody shook his head and put his wand away.  
  
"What was that for?" asked Harry getting up.  
  
"Your reflexes are too slow, Potter," he growled. "You ever fall down like that when a wand is pointed at you and you'll be dead before you know it. Constant vigilance."  
  
"Yeah, I know," replied Harry brushing himself off. "I just don't consider you to be a threat, so forgive me if I wasn't ready to have a wand pointed right at my head." Moody smiled a sick smile.  
  
"Two things Potter," he said. "One, I'm always a threat, whether you want to consider it or not, and two, how do you know that I'm even me? I could be some imposter who's been taking polyjuice, I do believe it happened a few years ago....not sure exactly when..."  
  
"Okay, okay! I get the idea," said Harry throwing his hands up in defeat. Moody smiled.  
  
"Just make sure that you remember to get the idea more often," Moody said.  
  
"Sir, what brought you here today?" asked Hermione from the bed.   
  
"Dumbledore asked me to come by and tell Harry and Ron to make sure that they are present at tonight's Order meeting. Says he has something important to discuss, but he didn't say what." Hermione's face visibly fell at the mention of her not knowing news at the same time the boys did.   
  
"Oh."  
  
"Come on, Hermione," said Harry sitting down next to her and putting her arm around her. "You know that we'll tell you everything the moment we get back up here."  
  
"Yeah," she replied.  
  
"Meeting still at 7?" asked Ron. Moody nodded.  
  
"Well that's all," he said. "I'll be off, got a few things to take care of before tonight." He made to open the door and leave, but then stopped. "Oh, and one other thing Potter."  
  
"What?" asked Harry.  
  
"Put blinding charms on your walls and floor."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you don't want anyone with an eye like mine being able to see what goes on in here," Moody replied. Harry had to think for a second at what Moody was hinting at, then his jaw dropped. Glancing at Hermione, he saw her eyes were wide and that a little of the color had drained from her face.  
  
"You...you don't....you don't actually see that, do you?" asked Harry.  
  
"Only that one time after the Order meeting, and believe me, I didn't watch. I only took a glance up here and deeply regretted it," Moody replied. Ron's mouth was opened and Harry could tell he didn't know whether to be repulsed at what he had heard, or to laugh. "See you tonight then." And with that he swept out of the room and was gone, closing the door behind him.  
  
An awkward silence hung in the air after Moody's departure, and was broken a few seconds later by Ron falling in the air in fits of laughter.  
  
"It's not funny!" shrieked Hermione.  
  
"It's hysterical!" replied Ron nearly crying with laughter. "I can't believe that you of all people wouldn't have thought of it!" The color in Hermione's face was quickly returning, but it was going directly to a deep shade of red.  
  
"I can't believe that," she whispered. "He actually saw us."  
  
"Yeah, I'm not too keen about it either," said Harry still reeling slightly from what Moody had told them.  
  
"Oh come on!" yelled a laughing Ron. "Honestly, you don't think that Moody could look right through your clothes if he wanted to?"  
  
"He makes a point," Harry admitted after some hesitation. "I guess he probably received quite a shock when he saw us."  
  
"I don't care," said Hermione pulling her wand out. "It makes me feel so...well...naked that he can do that." Pointing at the walls and floor she muttered five quick blinding charms and put her wand away.   
  
"It's kind of funny that he actually can undress a person with his eye," said Harry.  
  
"You don't think this is funny, do you?" asked Hermione incredulously.  
  
"There's a bit of comedy to it," he said smiling.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
"He's right Hermione," said Ron, finally getting over his laughter. "Think of it like this. It could've been much worse. As far as people catching you go, Moody is probably the second-best next to Dumbledore. I doubt he told anyone, and he certainly didn't give you an earful about it. Imagine what would've happened if it had been McGonagal with that eye instead. Or Snape. Or even your own parents?" Harry and Ron saw Hermione visibly shiver at hearing this.  
  
"I guess you're right," she admitted. "But that still doesn't erase the fact that it's very...embarrassing."  
  
"Embarrassing, but funny," Ron corrected.  
  
=====  
  
At a quarter of seven that night, Harry gave Hermione a quick kiss on the forehead and went downstairs to meet the rest of the Order of the Phoenix in the basement kitchen. Seeing Ron hovering in the corner talking to Mundungus Fletcher, he walked over to them in hopes of passing time while waiting for the meeting to start.  
  
"Hey Ron," he said reaching them. "Dung."  
  
"Who you be callin' Dung?" asked Fletcher, his breath reeking of Ogden's Finest.  
  
"You that's who," said Ron. "Dung's been telling me about his adventures to pick up supplies for the twins."  
  
"You're still running errands for them, then?" asked Harry. Mundungus shriveled up his nose at Harry.  
  
"I ain't be runnin' errands for no one," he said. "I be gettin' 'em what they need that ain't exactly....well, legal."  
  
"How would the Ministry react if they found out that Fred and George were using illegal substances in their products?"  
  
"Oh there's nothing illegal in their products," said Ron. "It's illegal to bring the stuff into the country without bringing to the Ministry's attention. That's what Dung here does for them." Dung nodded at this. "Besides, it's not like the Ministry would do anything, they already owe our family a favor from when Dad got attacked a year and a half ago guarding something that they should've admitted was a target." Harry nodded, distinctly remembering the attack on Mr. Weasley a little over 18 months ago that occurred while he was guarding the prophecy.  
  
At that moment, Dumbledore walked in, and the room fell silent. Dumbledore pulled a tin of sherbet lemons from his robes and looked around the room inquisitively.  
  
"Is there a reason you are all so silent?" he asked not disturbed in the slightest that everyone seemed to be looking at him like he was a ghost.  
  
"Well you did have Alastor tell us all to make sure that we were here," said Molly Weasley from beside her husband. "We assumed it was something important."  
  
"Ah," said Dumbledore putting a sherbet lemon in his mouth. "I think Alastor possibly may have made the situation seem more serious than it really is."  
  
"I did no such thing," growled Moody from the corner. "You said for me to contact all the members of the Order, and tell them to make sure to be here tonight. That's exactly what I did, and that's all I did."  
  
"Well no matter," said Dumbledore lightly. "We are all here now and that's what important."  
  
"So are you going to tell us what's going on?" asked Fred.  
  
"Yes, do inform us," commented George.  
  
"Patience, patience," the headmaster said. "Do not fret, all will be revealed."  
  
"Well then do get on with it Albus," said Professor McGonagal from next to Snape.  
  
"Oh very well," sighed the Dumbledore. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you all curious." The air in the room seemed to tense as everyone was eagerly listening as to what Dumbledore was about to say. "I have received information that there is going to be a death eater attack on Monday." There was a murmur of confusion as the news was heard throughout the room.  
  
"This isn't drastic news, Albus," said Lupin. "There are attacks all the time."  
  
"This one is different. We have reason to believe that the targets of this attack will be David and Emma Granger, the parents of Hermione Granger," Dumbledore said. The room fell silent at this. Recovering first, Harry spoke up.  
  
"Well we have to protect them, obviously," he said.  
  
"Well unless you plan on skipping the train to Hogwarts, Potter, YOU won't be protecting anyone," said a smirking Snape.   
  
"He's right Harry," said Dumbledore. "Do not worry, we will take the precautions necessary and move the Granger's immediately."  
  
"Good," said Ron. "What about the death eaters that are going to show up at their house though? I mean, I can't be a good idea just to let them appear and then get away when they find out no one's there."  
  
"I agree," said Harry. "For we know they might burn the house in anger if they don't get what they're looking for." There were some murmurs around the room at this, and Tonks spoke up after a moment.  
  
"I'm with Ron and Harry on this," she said. "It makes no sense to just let death eaters that we know we can capture escape unscathed."  
  
"It makes sense if it's a trap," said Dumbledore. "The information I have may not be entirely accurate, and we do not want to send people into a situation that might result in casualties on our side."  
  
"So you're saying that we just let them get away?" argued Fred.  
  
"No, I just think that it would be wise to use discretion here," replied the headmaster. "Given the facts, I personally do not think it is worth sending people to the Granger's house in order to capture five or six death eaters who are insignificant in the ranks of Voldemort's army."  
  
"It only takes one grain of rice to tip the scale," grunted Moody.  
  
"Quite true," said Molly Weasley. "But perhaps instead of arguing about whether or not to try to capture those death eaters, let's first discuss a way to get Hermione's parents to a safe haven for the time being." Everyone in the room agreed that this was a more sensible course of action, and individual talks immediately began on safe places.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore?" asked Harry. The headmaster turned and smiled at the 17-year old wizard in front of him.  
  
"What is it, Harry?"  
  
"I was thinking that perhaps we should include Hermione in this, they are HER parents after all." Dumbledore thought for a minute and then called Ron over to him.  
  
"Ronald, could you go and fetch Hermione for me please?"  
  
"Why?" asked Ron skeptically.  
  
"These are her parents that we are deciding the futures of, as Harry pointed out," said Dumbledore. "She deserves to know, and have a say." Ron nodded and floated up through the ceiling. A few minutes later Ron floated back down.  
  
"She's on her way," he said. At that moment a knock came at the door and Albus crossed the room to open it. Standing there was Hermione, looking half confused and half anxious.  
  
"Please come in, Ms. Granger," he said ushering he inside the basement kitchen. Everyone, your attention for a moment?" The room silenced for the headmaster to speak. "Harry brought to my attention a few minutes ago that Hermione should have a say in this, so here she is. I hope you will listen to her reasoning once we have informed her of what's happening and incorporate it in your ideas." Everyone nodded and resumed talking amongst themselves.  
  
"Ummm...what exactly is going on?" she asked timidly.   
  
"You didn't tell her Ron?" asked Harry looking at his other best friend.  
  
"Thought I should leave that up to you, mate," said Ron in earnest. Harry nodded and took Hermione into a private corner of the kitchen.  
  
"What's happening?" she asked. "I'm not a member of the Order, why am I here?"  
  
"Hermione," Harry said slowly. He didn't know where to begin. "Dumbledore got some news earlier..."  
  
"Yes?" she asked worried etched on her face.  
  
"There's going to be an attack on Monday, supposedly anyway," he said.  
  
"So? There are attacks all the time."  
  
"On your parents."  
  
Harry looked at the woman he loved and saw that her face was expressionless. Her features were like stone, impossible to read. Even looking into her eyes he couldn't tell what she was thinking about.  
  
"Hemione?" he asked. "Did you hear me?" Instead of answering, she merely fell back against the wall and slid down slowly to the ground. Taking her in his arms, Harry held her tight and she cracked, sobs flowing freely from her. "It's ok," he said comfortingly. "We're working on plans to get them safe right away. That's why we wanted you here, you know them best, so we thought you should have some say in all of this.  
  
"I....I can't believe this," she said weakly. "Are they ok?"  
  
"They will be once we can get them to a safe place," Harry said. "Now, I suggest we have Dumbledore call the room to attention and you can tell them what you think is best." Hermione nodded and with the help of Harry stood up. Harry motioned for Dumbledore to come over, and the headmaster obliged, putting another sherbet lemon in his mouth.  
  
"Care for one?" he asked holding the tin out to Hermione. "I find they help calm me down after I've just heard tough news." Hermione nodded and took one from the tin. "Harry?" His curiosity about the things finally getting the best of him, Harry finally conceded and took one from the tin in Dumbledore's outstretched hand as well. When he put it in his mouth he understood why the headmaster liked them so much. He couldn't help but smile at the sweet yet tangy taste of the candy.  
  
"You see," said Dumbledore. "They always manage to put a smile on your face." Harry now noticed that Hermione was slightly smiling too. Harry couldn't help but feel that he had tasted something like this before, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Now perhaps, would you like to tell the room what you have to say?" Hermione nodded and Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly. The room fell silent.  
  
"Well," began Hermione. "If I know anything about my parents, they'll want to see me before they go away, so I don't think it would be a bad idea to bring them here first." The room agreed with this statement, shown by the murmurs accompanied by an 'I told you so!' from Tonks in the back. "My parents always loved the Mediterranean climate," Hermione continued. "Southern France or Italy are their favorites, if you can accommodate it."  
  
"That was actually what we were thinking," said Moody. "As you can very well guess, the Dark Lord hates warm and sunny climates, so he generally stays away from there. I think that perhaps Marseille is a good location, though the French have always been wary of letting English wizards into their country after what happened with the giant revolt in 1629."  
  
"Won't they have a hard time getting in then?" asked Ron. This caused a slight chuckle from Hermione.  
  
"Although I myself may be a witch," she said. "My parents are about as muggle as you can get."  
  
"So it's settled then," said Dumbledore clasping his hands together. "Molly, Arthur, please apparate to their house and bring them here as quickly as possible, then I will personally inform them of everything after the meeting." The elder Weasleys nodded and disapperated with a pop. "Hermione, I must ask you to leave now, we have other things to discuss." Hermione sighed but nodded her head anyways. Harry gave her a quick kiss before she turned and walked out the door.  
  
"Potter and Granger sitting in a tree-" Tonks began teasingly.  
  
"Nymphadora," said Dumbledore warningly, looking over his half-moon spectacles.  
  
"Sorry," she said grinning.  
  
"Have we been able to work out a suitable course of action?" asked the headmaster. The people in room looked around at each and then Snape moved forward to speak.  
  
"I feel as if we need to investigate this," he said. "From what I know about the Dark Lord, this doesn't sound like a trap. It would be the exact thing that Voldemort would do in this situation. Traumatize Ms. Granger into leaving Potter behind, which would leave him broken. It makes perfect sense. I think it's worth trying to capture the death eaters involved. For all we know he may be using some higher ranked ones to make sure the mission is a success." There was a general murmur of assent from the room.  
  
"Who else feels the same way that Severus does?" asked Dumbledore. Every hand in the room went up. Dumbledore shrugged. "It's settled then. We will work out the operation a little later. Is there any news business to attend to first?"  
  
From that point on, the rest of the meeting was a blur to Harry. He didn't really pay attention to what was being said, it was just the usual death eater movements talk. He did manage to pay attention long enough to hear that it would be McGonagal, Moody, and Lupin who were going to the Granger's house when the attack was supposed to come though. Finally the meeting ended, and Harry left to go upstairs to his room.  
  
Upon reaching the third floor landing, he heard voices from inside his room, and upon closer investigation, realised they were those of Hermione and her parents.  
  
"Harry should be up with Dumbledore any minute now, mum, don't worry," Hermione said.  
  
"I don't understand why you have to wait until he comes to tell us why we're here," said David Granger.  
  
"Because Dumbledore knows more than I do," she replied. Harry stood outside his door listening, until a soft voice next to his ear made him jump.  
  
"Perhaps we should go in instead of just letting Hermione's parents debate why they are here?" whispered the headmaster from directly behind Harry.  
  
"Professor," said Harry, his heart rate slowing. "I didn't see you there."  
  
"I know, but perhaps we should inform them of what is going on," said Dumbledore. Harry nodded and rapped loudly on the door once.  
  
"I bet that's them now," said Hermione from inside the room. Harry and Albus heard footsteps cross the room to the door, which she opened slightly. "Hello Professor, Harry."  
  
"May we come in?" asked Harry smirking.   
  
"Well it is your room," she said opening the door all the way. Ushering them inside, she closed it behind them. Hermione's parents stood to greet Harry and Dumbledore as the three of them walked back over to the bed.  
  
"Albus, Harry," said David smiling. "How are you?"  
  
"As well as to be expected," said Harry smiling. He shook Mr. Granger's hand and turned to Emma, but found himself smothered in a hug.  
  
"Oh, it's great to see you again Harry!" said Mrs. Granger, who was cutting off Harry's supply of air.  
  
"It's nice to see you too," Harry said struggling with his breath. She released him with a timid smile. Rubbing his ribs, Harry turned to Hermione. "She could give Molly a run for her money."  
  
"As much as we enjoy seeing you again Harry," began David. "Could we get to the part as to why we are here with several packed suitcases?" Dumbledore's expression quickly changed to that of concern.  
  
"Please be seated," he said, conjuring up three chairs for the adults; Harry and Hermione sat on Harry's bed. "First of all, I warn you that this may come as a bit of a shock." The Grangers nodded and Harry took Hermione's hand and gave it a light squeeze.  
  
"It's bad then?' asked Emma.  
  
"Certainly not as bad as it might've been" replied Dumbledore. "But I suppose it isn't the grandest situation in the world." Hermione's parents leaned forward slightly so that they could hear every word of what Dumbledore was about to say.  
  
"Last night I received information that you two were the targets in Lord Voldemort's next attack," Dumbledore said grimly. Emma's eyes widened as she brought her hand to her mouth. David simply paled. "Fortunately, we have gotten you here safe and sound, so there is no chance you will be harmed." The tension in the room eased as Hermione's parents realised that they were not in any immediate danger.   
  
"However," Dumbledore continued. "We still believe that your residence is a target. The death eaters will more than likely destroy it when they do not find you there." Harry felt Hermione's grip tighten around his hand at the mention of her house possibly being destroyed.  
  
"Well are you going to protect it?" asked Emma.  
  
"The Order voted to attempt to capture your would-be killers before they do any damage to the house, but nothing is certain. I suggest having...what do muggles call it? Insurance? Just in case we cannot prevent them from causing damage."  
  
"Yeah, we should be adequately covered," said David. "So that's why we're here?"  
  
"For the moment, yes," said Dumbledore. "The Order agreed that the safest place that you would enjoy would be Marseille. We will transport you there as soon as we can and-"  
  
"Begging your pardon," said Emma. "But why do we have to go to Marseille?"  
  
"I thought it would be in a region that you guys would like," said Hermione from the bed.  
  
"Dearest, as much as we love Southern France, we would like to be somewhere that was closer to you," said Emma. David nodded his agreement and looked at Dumbledore.  
  
"It really isn't all that safe here," said Dumbledore. "There aren't many places that we can protect, especially not in England."  
  
"They can stay here," said Harry. The other four looked at him with bewilderment. "What?" he asked. "This is my house now, and if they want to they can stay here. The location is kept secret by you Professor, so I don't see how there could be any other place in England – scratch that, the world that could be safer than here."  
  
"Harry, this is the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore. "It is number one on the list of potential targets for Voldemort, should he ever find the location."  
  
"But you're the secret keeper, so unless you plan on telling him, he won't be able to find it," retorted Harry. Dumbledore's brow furrowed in thought.  
  
"Perhaps you're right," he said. "Assuming, of course, that you have no objections?" he asked David and Emma.  
  
"None at all," replied Hermione's father.  
  
"Are you sure it's all right, Harry?" asked Emma.  
  
"Positive," he said. "There are enough rooms in this place to turn it into a small hotel."  
  
"It's settled then," said Dumbledore. "I will inform the Order of the decision after I depart tonight. You two shall stay here until we have determined that it is safe for you to return to your house. I think Dobby can adequately prepare a room quickly. Dobby!?" The house-elf appeared and the Grangers jumped at his sudden appearance.  
  
"What can Dobby do for you, Great Albus Dumbledore?"  
  
"Please, Dobby, just call me Albus."  
  
"Yes sir, Albus, sir." Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Please ready a room for Mr. and Mrs. Granger, they will be staying with us until further notice," Dumbledore said. The house-elf nodded and disappeared with a snap of his fingers.  
  
"What was that?" asked Hermione's mother.  
  
"A house-elf," said Harry. "His name his Dobby, and he's one of the best there is. If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, just call his name and ask for what you need. He'll have it for you in under a minute, if that." At that moment, Dobby reappeared with a crack and bowed to Hermione's parents.  
  
"The fourth room on the left on the second floor is ready for you, sir and miss," he said. "Is there anything that I can get for Harry Potter or Hermione Granger?"  
  
"I'm fine thanks," said Hermione.   
  
"I could use a butterbeer," said Harry. The elf snapped his fingers and instantly a frosty bottle of butterbeer appeared in his hand, which he gave to Harry.  
  
"If sirs or misses need anything else, just call for Dobby." And with that he was gone.  
  
"Well, perhaps if you are ready, we can get you settled into your new room," said Dumbledore standing up and banishing his chair. The Granger's followed suit and stood up. Dumbledore walked to the door and opened it, Emma following him, but something had caught David's attention.  
  
"My, these posters are bloody amazing!" he exclaimed looking at the moving pictures of Harry flying around on his firebolt chasing the snitch.  
  
"Thanks," Harry said. "They were a house-warming gift from Dobby." David nodded and walked over to Emma and Dumbledore, who then left the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
"That was a really sweet thing you did back there," Hermione said putting her head on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"I couldn't very well just let your parents go to France worried about their only daughter," he replied. "Although you do know these means that you'll have to sleep in your own room for the next three days." Hermione looked at him with disappointment.  
  
"I suppose you're right," she said standing. "Well, I better be off to bed then, I want to get my last few nights of good sleep in." Harry nodded.  
  
"Good night," he said standing beside her and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.  
  
"Good night."  
  
Later that night Harry lay awake in bed, unable to fall asleep. It was the first night since the beginning of the summer that he hadn't slept with Hermione, and it felt extremely unnatural to him. He was just getting ready to summon Dobby to ask for a sleeping potion when a knock on his door disturbed his thoughts. Getting out of bed, he walked to the door and opened it slightly to see who was there.  
  
"Hermione?" he asked. He opened the door for her and closed it behind her. "What are you–" but he didn't have time to finish because Hermione had thrown herself at Harry and crushed her lips to his.   
  
"I couldn't do it," she said. "I can't fall asleep without you anymore."  
  
"That makes two of us, then," Harry replied.  
  
"Let me stay here," said Hermione. "Please, I don't care if my parents find out, I just need to be with you." Harry smiled at the girl in his arms and nodded, walking them both back to his bed where they collapsed next to each other, both of them falling into dreamless sleep right away.  
  
The next morning Emma Granger woke early.  
  
'It's only 8,' she thought. 'David's still asleep. I'll go check on the kids to see if they're doing ok.' Quietly, so as not to disturb her husband, she got out of bed. She had almost made it to the door when a floorboard she had stepped on creaked.  
  
"Emma?" David asked groggily. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To check on Hermione," she said. David sat up in bed.  
  
"I'll come with you, I really missed seeing her." Emma nodded and they left the room, walking down the hall to where Hermione was sleeping. They opened the door and found Hermione's bed empty.  
  
"Maybe she's already up," said David.   
  
"She's probably with Harry," Emma commented. "Come on, Dumbledore said they were practicing a new spell, I want to see what it does." So David and Emma Granger walked up to the third floor to Harry's room, and knocked on the door slightly. They heard no response, so tried the handle. The door opened, and they looked in to find their daughter fast asleep in the arms of Harry. Both were silent for a minute, then Emma closed the door and faced her husband.  
  
"Well," she said. "What do we make of that?" David shrugged.  
  
"We knew it would happen," he said. "I certainly did, I even told her to keep herself from getting pregnant."  
  
"We're not even sure that 'it' happened," said Emma. "They were just sleeping."  
  
"Please," he said. "Maybe not this time, but I'm sure that they were doing plenty of other things before we arrived here." The two of them argued all the way down to breakfast, and even after Harry and Hermione woke up, they kept bickering about it to themselves.  
  
=====  
  
Monday morning rolled around, and Harry and Hermione woke to the bright September sun flooding into the room.  
  
"Morning," Harry said kissing Hermione on the cheek. "Looking forward to Hogwarts?"  
  
"Immensely," said Hermione yawning. "Come on, let's get dressed and head down to breakfast, we should be ready to leave early." Harry agreed, and so the two of them found themselves walking down to breakfast a few minutes later.  
  
Upon arriving in the kitchen, they saw Hermione's parents chatting away animatedly about something. They immediately silenced when they saw who walked in the room. Sitting down, Harry noticed the lack of the usual early morning banter in the room.  
  
"Is something wrong?" he asked to the Grangers.  
  
"Well, to be quite frank, there is something we'd like to discuss," said David.  
  
"We've talked it over, and thought it best to talk to you about it," added Emma.  
  
"What is it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well.....the other morning, we went to check on you two, and we kind of...walked in on you," said Emma. Hermione's eyes widened, but quickly narrowed again in concentration. Both she and Harry knew that neither of them had done anything in the past three days that would constitute something her parents could 'walk in on'.  
  
"You see," Dan continued. "We saw you two sleeping with each other, and we thought-"  
  
"Ohhhh," breathed a visibly relieved Hermione.  
  
"We were just wondering if you two knew what you were doing," said Emma.  
  
"Mum!" exclaimed Hermione turning red.  
  
"I'm sorry dear, but everyone needs to have 'the talk' at some point."  
  
"Perhaps I can explain everything," said Harry. "Hermione and I both love each other very much. We both know what true love is, and what it includes. Rest assured that what we do during our own time is nothing that we don't know the consequences of. We are both responsible and mature enough to know to take precautions, which we do." Hermione along with her parents stared at Harry, all of whom were suitably impressed with this statement.  
  
"I think that covers everything then," said David resolutely, standing up. "Emma, maybe we should let these two get on with their breakfast, we still have some unpacking to do." His wife nodded and they left the kitchen, leaving Harry there pleased with himself, and Hermione stunned at her parent's reaction.  
  
=====  
  
"That was extremely impressive what you did back during breakfast," said Hermione who was sitting on Harry's lap on the Hogwart's Express later that day.   
  
"I started planning that speech out the moment I said your parents could stay at headquarters," Harry said.  
  
"Started planning what out?" asked Ron floating into the compartment followed by a knocking at the door that could only be Ginny.  
  
"Nothing," the two of them quickly said. Hermione opened the cabin door to let the younger Weasley in.  
  
"You two do know that you're not supposed to be here, right?" asked Hermione. Because Harry and Hermione were Head Boy and Girl, they had a compartment all to themselves.  
  
"Yeah, but since when has that ever stopped us before?" asked Ginny. "So is the attack team ready for today?" she asked. Ginny had since been informed of the impending attack on Hermione's house.  
  
"I hope so, I really like my house," said Hermione. "There are still a lot of things I own that have a lot of sentimental value to me." The other three nodded at this.  
  
"So what's going on?" asked Ron.  
  
"Nothing much," said Harry. He wasn't about to tell Ron and Ginny what he and Hermione were about to do when they entered the compartment.  
  
"Ah, well Malfoy's out there abusing his 'prefectness' so we decided to duck in here for a little while," said Ginny.   
  
"Make yourselves at home," Hermione said.  
  
The four of them made conversation for a good portion of the train ride, and eventually Ron suggested that he and Ginny should get back to their original compartment, where they had left Neville and the Creevey brothers.  
  
"You sure it was Malfoy that made you want to come in here and hide?" asked Harry jokingly.  
  
"Har har," said Ron. "We'd best be getting back though, don't want to keep everyone waiting."  
  
"Okay," said Hermione. "We'll see you at the train station." Ron and Ginny nodded and left the compartment.   
  
The moment they were gone, Harry quickly moved to lock the door and cast an Impenetrable Charm on it. After doing so, he wasted little time in moving over to Hermione who stood up from her seat and met him halfway.  
  
"I missed doing this," Harry said breaking off their kiss.  
  
"You only did it a few hours ago," said Hermione smiling.  
  
"That's not what I was referring to," he said running his hand down her back. Hermione drew in a sharp breath as she felt his hand press her body firmly up against his. Unable to take it any longer, Hermione dragged Harry down to the floor and straddled him, looking into his eyes.  
  
It was when Hermione looked back up out the window that she saw them.  
  
"HARRY!" she screamed terrified. Quickly sitting up and knocking her to the ground, Harry spun around just in time to see three death eaters on brooms flying alongside the train fire red jets of light at them. The spells shattered the windows of the compartment. Harry had no doubt that if it weren't for his seeker reflexes, he wouldn't have been able to duck in time. The spells hit the door behind them, causing the wood to splinter. More spells were shouted from the death eaters, and the wood below the broken window blocking Harry and Hermione from view started to splinter as well. Pulling his wand from his robes, and holding onto Hermione with everything he had, he said the first spell that came to his mind.  
  
"SALUS EVOLO!" he bellowed.   
  
This time the invisible force lifted him off his feet, and he felt as if he was being thrown backwards. The only thing his mind could register during the whole experience was that he was holding tightly onto Hermione, who was with him.  
  
And then just as soon as it started, it stopped. Harry and Hermione hit the ground with a hard 'thud', and moments later their trunks along with Headwig and Crookshanks' cage crashed onto the ground beside them.  
  
"Where are we?" asked a dazed Harry getting up. Hermione blinked her eyes and pointed at two very familiar large double doors made of oak.  
  
"Take a guess," she said.  
  
"Hogwarts?"  
  
"Right in one," Hermione said. "We need to go find Dumbledore quickly and let him know what's happened."   
  
"The bags should be safe here, none of the students are here yet," Harry said. Hermione nodded and the two of them set off at a run for the stone gargoyle, leaving their possessions behind. Upon reaching it they stopped and looked at each other.  
  
"Any ideas?" Harry asked.   
  
"None," Hermione said. "Start guessing."  
  
"Fizzing whizbee," Harry said, and the stone gargoyle leapt aside.   
  
"Good guess," Hermione said as they ascended the stairs to Dumbledore's office. Knocking once, they entered before awaiting a reply and found themselves staring at Dumbledore. Harry was the first to notice, though, that Dumbledore seemed...different. As if there was less worry etched into his features.  
  
"James, I've told you before, you cannot start causing trouble before the start of term when the teachers cannot take house points away," Dumbledore said grinning. Harry and Hermione looked at the headmaster in confusion.  
  
"James?" asked Harry. "I'm not James, I'm Harry, remember?" Dumbledore looked at the two of them in confusion.  
  
"Harry?" he said eyeing him carefully. "No...you aren't James. Though I admit the resemblance is uncanny. And you might you be?" Dumbledore asked looking at Hermione. The two teens exchanged worried glances before facing the headmaster again.  
  
"I'm Hermione, remember Professor?"  
  
"No, I can honestly say that I've never met you before in my life," he replied with a slight smile.  
  
"What are you talking about Professor?" asked Harry. "Not three days ago were you talking with us and Hermione's parents at headquarters."  
  
"Headquarters?" asked Albus.  
  
"Yes, you know, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix," said Hermione. At this, Dumbledore's eyes narrowed.  
  
"I'm not sure how you two know about the Order of the Phoenix," he said. "But Number 12, Grimmauld Place, wherever that might be, is most certainly not where headquarters are located." Harry and Hermione were now getting worried.  
  
"We've known all about it since Voldemort rose to power again–" began Harry, but Dumbledore quickly cut him off.  
  
"Wait," he said. "Again?"  
  
"Yes, don't you remember?" Harry asked. "Killed my parents, then tried to kill me, only to have the curse bounce back upon him and thus cause his first downfall?" Dumbledore's expression then changed to that of understanding.  
  
"Ahhh," he said. "Tell me Harry, what year is it?"  
  
"It's 1997," he replied. Dumbledore smiled a sad smile.  
  
"You will undoubtedly have to tell me how this occurred, but I think for right now it's better that we learn everything important that led to you ending up here," the headmaster said.  
  
"What do you mean here?" asked Hermione. "Isn't this Hogwarts?"  
  
"Unless I am very much mistaken, we are still in Hogwarts," said Dumbledore smiling. "But the matter at hand is not where you are, but when you are." Harry and Hermione's eyes grew wide and they looked at each other.  
  
"Professor," said Harry. "Why don't YOU tell me what year it is." Dumbledore smiled as he looked at Harry and Hermione, who were both preparing for the answer they knew was coming.  
  
"1977," the headmaster replied.  
  
---------------  
  
WOW this was a long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, it took me a while to get it done. The next chapter might take awhile, I really have no idea what I'm going to write for it. This was all I had in my mind for the story up until this point. Rest assured though, it'll be there eventually. I promise you that there will be some serious mischief while Harry and Hermione are there, and that they'll get back to their own time eventually. As for right now, I'm off to bed to get my beauty sleep. Have fun all, and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!! 


	8. Marauder Mischief

WOW! What an overwhelming response to last chapter. I was told by a few people that in fact it was the best chapter I had written so far. Right now, I'm going to take some time to respond to some reviews, both from Portkey and Fanfiction so I don't have to re-write the chapter for different sites.  
  
Portkey:  
  
Shaz124 – Don't you worry, you'll find out how they're going to get back in this chapter, but it won't be happening for a while. I want to let them have a good time in the past before they have to go back to the future and face everything that's coming for them.  
  
Bebebeaky & SavvyJackSparrow – I'll be quite honest. Reviews like yours are why I started writing and why I continue to write. Thanks for giving me more inspiration to continue, and I hope you like the rest of my eventual works.  
  
He-Who-I-Will-Not-Name – I received an unfortunate review from someone (you know who you are) which I have since deleted, as it was a depressing thing to look at and read, regarding Part I of my series. I am going to make something very clear, right now. If you're going to flame me, go ahead. If you're going to leave constructive criticism, go ahead. But if you're going to be downright insulting, and not even bother finishing reading what I've written (which is much better than the beginnings of Part I, thank you very much), then don't bother reviewing. I don't need to hear derogatory banter from people who don't even post works on this site, and I especially don't want to hear crap from anyone who is rude about it. The least you could've done is finish the reading the fic before giving me bullshit. That being said, thank you very much for pissing me off thoroughly for a good few hours.  
  
FanFiction:  
  
Supernova – Glad to see my humor is improving slightly. One of the reasons I post stories is to try to make some people laugh. I'm glad I have accomplished this a little bit, no matter how small the laughter was. I find that no matter what darkens our doors, if we can have humor, we can make it through the hardest times (That is an original quote, by me, so if anyone ever uses it, I BEST GET CREDIT!).  
  
FlyingFurBall – I know, I know, I have what I call ACS. Addictive Cliffhanger Syndrome. I'm sorry, I can't help it. :)  
  
SLITH: I admit, your review put a smile on my face. To clear something up, they'll have to go back to their own time to kill Voldie, but don't worry about the other thing you mentioned. Just read this chapter :)  
  
Also, I've started up a LiveJournal, for those of you who want to hear about my everyday life and my progress on chapters as I'm writing them. Fanfiction will not allow me to post the link for some reason, so I have to spell out directions instead. Go to livejournal dot com (it won't let me type it), and type in TheGreatFox2000 in the search box with the query username. Just click on my name after that and it'll take you to the journal (fanfiction is so screwy).  
  
Now on one final note, this chapter's a little short, and is mostly filler. Hey, there need to be one or two of them every so often. Provided on the response I get, I'll try to have the next chapter up a little sooner than usual, so as not to keep you all waiting.  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter 8: Marauder Mischief  
  
"Say that one more time for me please?" asked Harry.  
  
"The year is 1977," said Dumbledore again. "Therefore, I think the most pressing question is: how did you two manage to travel back in time by 20 years?" Upon being asked this, Harry began to wonder how it actually did happen. "I think a good idea might be retracing your steps."  
  
"We were on the train talking with Ron and Ginny," began Hermione. "They left...." she paused here and looked at Harry. He knew why Hermione hesitated. He wasn't entirely sure either on whether or not he wanted to tell Dumbledore what they had been doing before they had been attacked.  
  
"We were attacked by death eaters," he said, deciding to skip that small bit in-between. "And I used the Fleeing Charm."  
  
"I'm not familiar with that," she Dumbledore. "What is it?"  
  
"It's a spell we created using the Tome of the Spellmaker," said Hermione. Dumbledore's eyes widened at this.  
  
"Really?" he asked. "And how did it come into your possession?"  
  
"You gave it to me for my 17th birthday," said Harry. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"What does this 'Fleeing Charm' do exactly?" he asked.  
  
"It transports the caster and anyone the caster is thinking of, along with any belongings the caster wishes to the safest place possible," said Hermione.  
  
"That sounds like a rather complex spell," Dumbledore said. "It does, however, tell us how you have come to be here."  
  
"How?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well it's quite simple," said the headmaster rising to his feet. "Your spell does not specify that it transports you to the safest place in the current time, so naturally, Hogwarts in 1977 must have been the safer for you than Hogwarts in 1997, given the situation." Harry and Hermione looked at each other. He didn't like it, but Harry had to admit that Dumbledore's explanation made sense.  
  
"So how can we get back to our own time?" asked Hermione. "We need to tell everyone there what's happened."  
  
"Well, unfortunately I currently do not possess the Tome, so we can't make a spell to send you back to the future. I lent it to a good friend of mine, perhaps you've heard of him? Nicolas Flamel?"  
  
"The one who made the Philosopher's Stone?" asked Harry. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"You do get around," he said chuckling. "Yes, the same."  
  
"Well that's ok though," said Hermione. "We can use yours, right Harry?"  
  
"Er....I left it at Grimmauld Place."  
  
"What?! Why?!" Hermione shriked.  
  
"Well Dumbledore told me to leave it there, that it would be safer there than at Hogwarts where students might try to steal it," Harry answered.  
  
"I take it things in the future are quite grim if there is a safer place than Hogwarts?" asked the headmaster. Harry and Hermione nodded grimly. "All right then," he said. "I will contact Nicolas to see if I can re-aquire the Tome from him. In the meantime however..." Dumbledore paused looking at the Head Boy and Girl badges pinned upon Harry and Hermione's robes. "You will have to stay here. Lily Evans and James Potter are Head Boy and Girl though, I will definitely have to think on a solution to this."  
  
"Professor, we understand that there can't be two Head Boys and Girls in one year," said Hermione.  
  
"We do?" whispered Harry.  
  
"Of course!" she replied. "Harry we're in the past, I think that we can give up our Head Boy and Girl duties for a little while so we can do more important things. Say, spend time with your parents?" Harry's face lit up as he realised that he could do just that. However, Dumbledore spoke before he could think further.  
  
"I will assume, Harry, that James is your father?"  
  
"Yes," he replied.  
  
"And I'll also assume that your mother is Lily Evans, because you have her eyes," said Dumbledore. Harry nodded. "This is not going to be easy to hear Harry."  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, worry starting to run through him.  
  
"I don't think that you should let your parents know who you really are," the headmaster said. Harry's jaw dropped at this. "At least not for the time being. I think coming up to them and saying that you're their future son might put them off a little bit. Become friends with them first before you go and tell them everything. Of course, I will have to put a memory charm on them when you leave so that they don't remember your visit." Reluctantly, Harry agreed.  
  
"Well what will I say my name is then?" he asked. "I can't very well going around as Harry Potter, not when I look so much like James, anyway."  
  
"Yes, you make a valid point," said Dumbledore. "Do you have any suggestions?" Hermione's face broke into a grin and she whispered something in Harry's ear.  
  
"What?!" he yelled. "No way."  
  
"Oh come on, I think it'd be hysterical," she pouted.  
  
"I will not call myself that!"  
  
"Pleeeeeease?" she begged. "It'll only be for a short time anyway." Harry gave a disgusted groan.  
  
"Fine...."  
  
"So you have it all worked out then?" Dumbledore asked. "I'll need to put your names in with the Gryffindor schedules, so what have you decided?"  
  
"I can still be Hermione Granger, right?" Hermione asked. Dumbledore nodded and scribbled down something on a piece of parchment.  
  
"And what will you call yourself Harry?" Harry gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Harry Lockheart," he said grimmacing. Hermione's grin was stretching from ear to ear, and Harry could tell that if they weren't in the presence of Dumbledore, she would be laughing.  
  
"All right then," said Dumbledore. "I'll have the house-elves take your belongings up to the tower, you do have your trunks, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry replied. "They're in the entrance hall."  
  
"Very well," said the headmaster. "And now, perhaps you would like to go to your dormitories until the feast? The train won't be arriving for another two hours or so." Harry and Hermione nodded and bid their headmaster good afternoon.  
  
As they were walking away towards the tower, Harry rounded on Hermione.  
  
"Out of all the names you could've chosen, why Lockheart?!" he yelled. Hermione couldn't repress her laughter this time.  
  
"Honestly Harry I was joking!" she responded. "You didn't think I was serious?"  
  
"Obviously I did, because now it's my name until my parents find out who I really am!"  
  
"Oh stop it," she said. "Besides, it's charming. Harry Lockheart. It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"  
  
"No, I don't think it has a nice ring to it all," Harry grumbled.  
  
"Oh quit being such a git," Hermione laughed. "Come on, I'll race you to the dorms."  
  
"And why would I want to do that?" asked Harry.  
  
"Ok, fine!" said Hermione throwing up her arms. "I thought perhaps we might be able to finish what we started on the train, considering that we have at least two hours to ourselves in the empty dorms, but I'll understand if you don't want to do that." And with that she walked off ahead of Harry towards the tower.  
  
It took about five seconds for Harry to realise what she was talking about, and then he set off at a sprint to catch up to her.  
  
=====  
  
"The one thing the bothers me the most," said Harry lying in his bed in his dorm. "Is that it was all a ruse."  
  
"What was a ruse?" Hermione asked pressing her body against his.  
  
"All that stuff about death eaters attacking your house, it was just a ruse to try to catch us with our guard down, which they did. If it hadn't been for the charm...."  
  
"Harry stop it, it wasn't your fault," admonished Hermione. "And we don't even know that it was, in fact, a ruse."  
  
"Of course it was. Ron and I were the ones who suggested sending people over there in the first place," said Harry. "What if the death eaters destroyed the train because there weren't enough teachers to protect it?"  
  
"I'm sure everyone's fine," Hermione said. "Ron was with them, I'm sure he could handle three death eaters without much difficulty."  
  
"I should've known the moment that Dumbledore was against it that it was a bad idea," he said. "He was the only one who seemed to think that it might've been some sort of trap."  
  
"Harry, look at me," Hermione said looking directly at him. "It. Wasn't. Your. Fault. Got it?" Harry sighed.  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Come on now," Hermione said getting out of the bed. "We should head downstairs, the train should be arriving soon." Harry grinned at her as she picked her discarded clothes off of the floor and began to dress. "What?" she asked noticing his stare.  
  
"You just look fantastic," he said. Hermione blushed slightly.  
  
"Only to you," she said putting her socks on while sitting on Harry's trunk. He stood up and cupped her chain with his hand, raising her gaze to his.  
  
"Does anyone else matter?" he asked.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
"Good," Harry said. The two of them got dressed and made their way down to the Great Hall, where they could see the thestral-drawn carriages making their way up to the school. Hermione gasped.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, quickly reaching for his wand.  
  
"They're magnificent!" Hermione exclaimed looking at the thestrals.  
  
"What are?"  
  
"The thestrals," she said, causing Harry to relax. "Of course, I can see them now, since I saw......." Her voice trailed off as both she and Harry remembered the fateful day in Hogsmeade at the end of last year. Quietly, they made their way from the windows over to the Gryffindor table and sat down, waiting the arrival of the students.  
  
"Didn't you see them last year?" Harry asked as they waited.  
  
"I guess I did, now that I think about it," Hermione answered. "I suppose I didn't notice them."  
  
"How could you not notice them?" asked Harry.  
  
"I think there were more important things going on, say for example, me spending what we thought were going to be our last few hours for a month together?" Harry smiled and gave Hermione a kiss on the forehead at this.  
  
At that point, the oak doors opened and the students started to fill the great hall. Anxious, Harry took Hermione's hand in his own underneath the table as he waited for the arrival of his parents.  
  
"Nervous?" asked Hermione.  
  
"More anxious than nervous," replied Harry. "Honestly, I spent the entire walk down here thinking about what I was going to do when I saw them, and now that I'm here, I have no idea what to do."  
  
"I know how you feel," she said. "I felt the same way before talking to my parents in person the first time after I told them about us." Harry smiled at this. "Don't look now, but they're here."  
  
And so they were. Harry turned and saw four boys his age walking through the large double doors, followed a few moments later by a very attractive red-head. The tallest one (who Harry immediately picked out to be James) kept turning and making comments at the girl behind them, who was ignoring him with a certain dislike.  
  
"That's my dad," he said pointing to James.  
  
"Obviously," replied Hermione with that know-it-all tone. "He looks exactly like you." Harry continued to watch the Marauders walk down the great hall towards where they were sitting, when he saw one of the shorter boys look directly at him. He knew immediately which one it was.  
  
"Pettigrew," he spat. "What I would do to him if I could...."  
  
"Harry, he's their friend, and if you want to be friends with them, you're going to have to get along with him too," said Hermione.  
  
"He's the reason they're dead," said Harry. "The reason that Sirius is dead." Hermione looked at him astonished.  
  
"You just admitted that Sirius' death wasn't your fault," she said smiling. Harry's mouth opened, then he realised what he had said and closed it again. Maybe there was truth to what Hermione had just stated. He turned back at the Marauders and saw that they were all now staring directly at him. James didn't even flinch when the red-haired girl (who Harry thought had to be Lily) brushed past them. They quickly huddled up in conversation then made a beeline straight for Harry and Hermione. Hermione felt Harry's grip on her hand tighten and she couldn't help but smile.  
  
"You're not scared of your own father, now are you?" she asked.  
  
"I dunno," Harry replied. "I've seen him do some awful things to Snape." Hermione's eyes widened at him, and he quickly added, "I saw it in Snape's pensieve, I'll tell you later." She nodded her understanding at him just as the four Marauders sat down across from them. They were all staring at Harry with interest.  
  
"Can we help you?" asked Hermione in her sweetest tone. Harry saw Sirius give a sly grin at Hermione and got the distinct impression that he was sizing her up.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact," said James. "We've never seen you around here before, and we thought you could use some company." He extended his hand to Harry, which he shook. "James Potter," he said. "And you might be?"  
  
"Harry P-" Hermione elbowed him hard. "-Lockheart," he quickly amended.  
  
"Lockheart, eh?" asked James with a bemused expression. "This is Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."  
  
"Nice to meet you," said Harry.  
  
"So, did you guys transfer in here from another school?" asked Sirius. "You don't look as if you're first years."  
  
"No, we're seventh years," interjected Hermione. "We transferred here from America."  
  
"Not much of an American accent," mumbled James. He clearly he wasn't too keen on Harry and Hermione's arrival.  
  
"So, what classes will you be taking?" asked the fourth boy who had to be Remus.  
  
"We're not really sure," said Hermione. "Probably Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said rattling off the names of the courses they she and Harry would've taken had they been in their own time. "It's N.E.W.T. year after all, so instead of taking electives we'll just double up on some other courses."  
  
"How do you know about N.E.W.T.s?" asked James cooly. "I thought they took C.A.T.s in America."  
  
"Oh well yes, but uh...." Hermione was coming up short answering this one.  
  
"Potter leave them alone," came a voice behind Harry. He and Hermione turned and looked up into the face of none other than Lily Evans. "If you're not going to be nice to them you should just go away."  
  
"I wasn't giving them a hard time," said James. "Merely welcoming them to Hogwarts."  
  
"Sure you were," she answered. "And I'm in love with you." James' eyes widened.  
  
"You love me Lily? I always knew you'd come around –"  
  
"Once again Potter that amazing intellect of yours failed to detect the obvious sarcasm in my voice. I'll say it one more time. Stop feeding the new students your Head Boy dribble and bugger off, or I'll send McGonagal after you." James huffed at this but complied, standing up and walking away, flanked by the other three Marauders. Lily sat down next to Harry.  
  
"Sorry about that," she said looking at them. "I'm afraid he likes to give all new students a hard time. I'm the Head Girl, Lily Evans, by the way."  
  
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said.  
  
"Harry Lockheart," followed Harry. Lily nodded and gave them a smile.  
  
"You do know how much you look like James, right?" she asked.  
  
"I suppose there are some similarities," said Harry trying to evade this topic.  
  
"So you're from America?" Lily asked. Hermione nodded. "What's it like over there." Hermione quickly looked at Harry for an answer, but when none came she had to come up with something in a hurry.  
  
"Well it's very....different," she said. "People are a lot more vulgar over there, for one." Lily chuckled slightly.  
  
"I've heard that," she said. "Now, do you want to tell me where you're really from, or will I have to guess?" Harry and Hermione's eyes widened at this. "Oh please," continued Lily. "The one thing I pride myself on is my ability to read people, and it obvious that you two are lying right through your teeth. You don't have a hint of an American accent, either."  
  
"Well....uh...." stammered Harry. Both he and Hermione were at a loss for words.  
  
"It's ok," Lily said. "You don't have to tell me."  
  
"No!" said Harry a little too forcefully. Lily looked at him slightly taken aback. "What I mean is, we can't really tell you where we're from."  
  
"Why not?" asked Lily.  
  
"We're not supposed to," said Hermione. Lily looked at her then at Harry. A moment passed where no one said anything, Lily only continued to stare at him. Finally, she spoke up.  
  
"Well, alright then," she said. "I'll let you two keep on hiding whatever you're hiding until you want to tell me." At that moment Dumbledore rose to speak to the student body. The three of them had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they completely failed to notice that they had ignored the sorting.  
  
"Friends," he began. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I don't wish to keep you all from our excellent feast, so with that in mind, tuck in!" And just like as always, the food appeared on the tables instantly.  
  
"So," Lily said piling food on her plate. "Looking forward to this year?"  
  
"Immensely," said Hermione. "Although I'm a bit worried about the N.E.W.T.s."  
  
"Understandable," Lily said. "Have you two picked jobs that require high scores?" Harry nodded as he put some food in his mouth.  
  
"Or-or," he said whilst chewing. Hermione gave him a stern look.  
  
"Swallow," she said in a commanding tone, and Harry obliged.  
  
"Sorry," he said. "I'm going for Auror."  
  
"So am I," added Hermione. Lily smiled a sad smile at them.  
  
"That's a tough job to get. Unfortunately for you, you're going to have to deal with all four of them for the year," she said.  
  
"All four of who?" asked Hermione. Lily nodded in the direction of the Marauders, who were all chatting animatedly amongst themselves.  
  
"They all want Auror jobs too. I'm going for a charms-related job in the Ministry, myself," Lily said. "Something in research, preferably."  
  
"Sounds exciting," said Hermione. "Will you be in any of our classes?"  
  
"Charms and Transfiguration are definite, but I'm not entirely sure if I'll be taking Defense Against the Dark Arts or Potions," she replied. "At least us seventh years get tomorrow to finalize our classes."  
  
"Since when?" asked Harry. Hermione shot him a glare, and he quickly realised that he might've given away too much information. Lily considered him a moment before responding.  
  
"It's always been like that," she said. "I hear it's to give us one last free day around the school before a long and hard year of learning." Harry could tell that this news excited Hermione. He knew that anyone else would be groaning miserably at the thought of a long and hard year of learning.  
  
=====  
  
"Remind me again why we're doing this?" asked Lupin. The Marauders were walking back to Gryffindor tower early from the feast.  
  
"Because they lied right through their teeth to us," said Sirius. "Not to mention that Harry, if that is his real name, looks exactly like Prongs."  
  
"Maybe so, but it's no reason to harass them," retorted Lupin.  
  
"I'm with Padfoot on this," said James. "The two of them seem very suspicious to me. Especially Harry, something about him seems strange."  
  
"He does look like you," said Pettigrew in a barely audible whisper.  
  
"Who cares," said Sirius. "After this, we'll be able to tell whether he's a fake or not." The four of them reached the entrance to the common room.  
  
"Mimbletoma," said Lupin to the portrait to of the fat lady. The picture swung open and let them in. They made their way up to the seventh year boys' dorm, which James was staying in after requesting permission from Dumbledore to stay with his friends. They looked at the seven beds (there were two other Gryffindor boys in the seventh year), and saw that the new bed for Harry had clearly already been used. Sirius let out a long, low growl.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling that he's already been up here?" he asked.  
  
"Because he has," answered James. "And I'll bet you anything that girl was with him."  
  
"Hermione?" asked Remus. "You think that they're together then?"  
  
"It's obvious with the way that she kept answering all the questions you asked her Moony," said James. "It was always, 'WE're taking this class together, and WE want to take double courses instead of electives'. Why? Do you fancy her?"  
  
"Not at all," said Lupin. "I just thought she seemed like a nice person."  
  
"It's irrelevant," said Sirius pulling out the exact same penknife that he would give Harry for Christmas 17 years later when Harry was 14. Walking over to Harry's trunk, he inserted the knife into the lock, and turned. When he attempted to lift the lid though, the trunk did not open.  
  
"What in the bloody hell?" said James incredulously. "That thing picks every lock in existence."  
  
"There must be some sort of spell on his trunk prohibiting anyone but him from opening it," said Lupin.  
  
"Is there any way around it?" asked Sirius.  
  
"Probably not if he's put enough time and effort into it."  
  
"Bollocks," said James sitting down on his four-poster. "You think we should try the dust?" Sirius turned and looked at him, Peter's face sprouted a huge grin while he was nodded fervently, and Lupin merely shook his head.  
  
"Don't use that stuff," he said. "It's too dangerous."  
  
"Like hell it is," Sirius replied. "James and I have worked on it for two years. It's perfect."  
  
"But you've never used it on a human before," said Lupin. "What if you kill him by accident?"  
  
"We wont," said James. "This stuff works miracles, trust me."  
  
"What if he's harmless and all of this is for nothing?" asked Lupin  
  
"Well we'll find out after breakfast tomorrow," said James. "Harry Lockheart, what kind of name is that?" Peter let out a loud laugh, then quickly shut up after realising that he was the only one laughing.  
  
"Put a little of this in his orange juice, and he'll do whatever we want him to," said Sirius holding up a small pouch of some sort.  
  
"You make sure you tell the dust to do ONLY that," said Lupin. "The last thing we need is to end up hurting some new transfer student."  
  
What the Marauders didn't know, however, was that Harry had sneaked up the stairs quietly and had listened to everything that they were saying. He quietly tiptoed back down the stairs and stopped in front of where the head girl's room was (he could see it because he'd been named Head Boy in the future), knocking three times.  
  
"Lily?" he asked. She opened the door slightly, and when seeing who it was opened it all the way.  
  
"Harry? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" she asked.  
  
"I need to talk to Hermione, but I can't go and get her because I'm a guy."  
  
".....how do you know about that?" she asked with her brow furrowed. Harry instantly realised that he was not supposed to know anything about Hogwarts, having just transferred here and all.  
  
"Er....Dumbledore told me when we saw him earlier," he lied. Lily looked at him in curiosity for a moment, but seemed satisfied with the answer. She walked out of her room, closing the door behind her, and made her way up to the girl's dorm.  
  
A few minutes later she came back down with Hermione on her heels.  
  
"What is it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I need to talk to you," said Harry. "Preferably in someplace private."  
  
"You can use the Head Boy's room," said Lily. "James got permission to stay in the dorms with the rest of his friends, there won't be anyone there. You can use it for as long as you want."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry in gratitude. He walked over to the other door in the wall with Hermione following and turned the knob.  
  
The first thought in his mind when he entered the room was to go and tell Dumbledore to come up with some sort of idea to let him and Hermione be assistant Head Boy and Girl or such. The sheer thought of having this room to himself was too much. A chandelier hung from the smooth, white ceiling. The walls were a solid Gryffindor red, and there was a large, kind sized four poster with it's headboard along the left wall. A fireplace with a warm fire was built into the wall across from the bed. There were shelves lined with books, some of which Harry knew to be in the restricted section, dressers for his clothes, closets for all of his school supplies. None of this however, compared to the bathroom that was attached to it.  
  
When Harry walked into the bathroom, his jaw dropped. By normal standards, the prefect's bathroom that Harry had used during his fourth year was spectacular. It was, however, dwarfed in comparison to the bathroom that belonged to the Head Boy. Roughly the same size as the main room, it had a swimming pool, a hot tub, a bath built into the floor, and a shower. All of this was capped off by the fact that there was a switch built into the wall that allowed the occupant to change the scenery of the room to that which he desired. Hermione, looking completely unimpressed, had to pat Harry on the shoulder to get his attention.  
  
"Harry? Didn't you want to talk to me about something?" she asked.  
  
"What? Oh, right," he said walking back into the main room and sitting down on the bed, Hermione sitting next to him. "I was on my way to the dorm, and I heard my dad, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew talking inside the room."  
  
"You didn't eavesdrop on them, did you?" Hermione asked incredulously.  
  
"I had to, I had to know what they were up to," he replied honestly.  
  
"What did they say?"  
  
"I didn't catch all of it, but it sounded as if they tried to get into my trunk and failed. Then they were talking about some dust they were going to use on me tomorrow morning." Hermione's eyes were wide.  
  
"Why would they do something like this?" she asked.  
  
"Dunno, maybe they think I'm a dark wizard or something," Harry answered  
  
"What's this dust do?"  
  
"I didn't hear it all, but Sirius said something like, 'it'll make him do whatever we him to'," he said. Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.  
  
"I suppose it all boils down to whether or not you think that they're out to hurt you," she said.  
  
"Prank me, yes," Harry said with a chuckle. "But hurt me? Lupin said the only person that James ever purposely hurt was Snape, and I hope they don't see me on his level."  
  
"As long as you don't think they'll hurt you, I see no reason to worry about it. Who hasn't been on the receiving end of a prank before?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't believe I've ever pranked you," said Harry wrapping his arm around her.  
  
"Ron sure did once," she said turning slightly red.  
  
"What?" asked Harry in surprise. "When did this happen? He never told me about it!"  
  
"It's because I threatened him with the fact that if he ever told anyone I would personally make sure he lost his ability to procreate." Harry's eyes widened.  
  
"You wouldn't really do that to him, would you?" he asked. Hermione smiled.  
  
"No, but it didn't stop me from threatening him with the idea," she answered. Harry chuckled.  
  
"So what did he do?" asked Harry. "And why?"  
  
"It was back during Halloween in 6th year," she said. "Over the summer Ron had expressed feelings towards me, and I had politely turned him down, telling him that I had feelings for you." Harry couldn't help but smile at this. "He took it extremely well. Said that he had a feeling about us for a long time, but had to know if he was wrong. Anyways his last words to me from that conversation were, 'Don't worry, I'll get you back eventually'. I never though he would actually go through with it."  
  
"What'd he do?" Harry asked.  
  
"One night in the common room when you had gone to bed early, Ron challenged me to a game of chess. I was really bored and tired of studying, so I accepted. What he didn't tell me was that he had dipped all of the pieces I was using in a Numbing Potion, and the next day I couldn't feel my hands." Harry smiled at this. "That's not even the half of it though," Hermione continued. "He had screwed up the potion, so the day after that, instead of the feeling returning to my hands, my arms went numb." Harry started to chuckle.  
  
"I never noticed a thing," he said.  
  
"You were still upset over Sirius' death," Hermione said. "You spent that entire weekend, like all the other weekends, in your dorm." Harry's smile vanished at the memory of his terrible depression binge that had plagued him for the first half of his 6th year.  
  
"Sorry," he said.  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Hermione replied. "Anyways, at that point I went to see Madam Pomfrey, who fixed me right up. However, in that amount of time Ron had managed to talk Lavender into putting itching powder in my sheets. I spent had to spend all of that Sunday in the shower just to get it all off. I got her back good, though, believe me."  
  
"What'd you do?" Harry asked.  
  
"The day of the first Hogsmeade trip, she had a date with a 7th year boy from Ravenclaw. The night beforehand, I charmed her lipstick so that it would appear red to her, but would really be green." Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Hermione's ingenuity. "Needless to say, that was their only date."  
  
=====  
  
Lily was pacing in her room debating with herself. She knew full well that Harry and Hermione were in the next room talking about private matters, and that if she listened in, she would probably have all the answers she wanted. 'It's so wrong, though,' she thought. 'I certainly wouldn't want them listenting in on me if I was having a private conversation...' Just then a laugh from the Head Boy's room brought her back to her senses. Abandoning reason for curiosity, she muttered a quick hearing charm on herself to allow her to hear through the door connecting the rooms, walked over to it, and pressed her ear against the oak.  
  
"So did you get back at Ron?" Harry asked.  
  
"No, after that whole episode, we sat down and had a good laugh, and agreed that we were even," she said. Harry and Hermione laughed for a little while over the story, until Harry's smile slowly turned into a frown. "What wrong?"  
  
"I'm sorry, it just seems like everyone was off having a great time while I was lying around depressed over Sirius."  
  
"We weren't having a great time Harry, it was one of the few occasions where we all managed to have a laugh," Hermione said in a serious tone. "The rest of the time Ron and I were worried sick about you."  
  
"I know, Sirius' death just hit me really hard," Harry replied. Lily's eyes widened. "He was like the father I never had."  
  
"How do you think James and Lily will react to the news of being your parents?"  
  
"I have absolutely no idea," replied Harry. "It's ironic isn't it?"  
  
"What's ironic?" Hermione asked.  
  
"My own father and godfather have no idea who I am and are planning a prank on me. They have no clue that I'm Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, and are treating me like I'm just another person." Lily had to grip the shelves next to her in order to maintain her balance at hearing this.  
  
"How is that ironic?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Because all my life, all I've wanted is to be normal. Have a family, not be destined to kill Voldemort. Now I AM a normal person, and the top two people who I want to spend time with have absolutely no idea who I really am."  
  
"Two?" Hermione asked. "What about me?"  
  
"You're the person I want to spend the rest of my life with," said Harry smiling. "But while I'm here, I need to be with my mom and dad. I need to know who James and Lily Potter really are."  
  
"I know," Hermione replied. "Don't worry. You'll be able to talk to them freely soon enough. Come on, we should get to bed. It's late."  
  
"Lily did say that we could stay in this room as long as we wanted to," said Harry with a smile. "Let's spend tonight here."  
  
"What about our things?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Who cares?" asked Harry. "We have each other." With any other answer, Hermione would've protested to go and get her night clothes, but after hearing Harry say that, she just melted into his arms on the bed. Harry turned off the lights with a flick of his wand, and the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms quite quickly.  
  
Out of all the things Lily had expected to hear, her being Harry's mother was not one of them. Hearing that James was his father also came as an equally big shock. The conversation that she had overheard had given her more new questions than answers. Namely, 'How did this happen?' Making up her mind quickly, she walked to the door to the common room, opened it, headed out of the tower, and walked off in the direction of the stone gargoyle that hid the steps to Dumbledore's office.  
  
---------------  
  
Well, I hope you all liked this chapter. I know I originally said it was going to be posted on Wednesday, maybe even Thursday, but the writer's block suddenly cleared and I suddenly was able to crank out the last 10 pages of this chapter. I know it's not very long, but it was either that or write a 35 page chapter that wouldn't be up until at least next Monday. So I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to review!   
  
Quick A/N: The ending of this chapter has been revised since it was posted. I apologize, but it was brought to my attention that there was a slight continuity error in my writing, that it wasn't clearly apparent that Lily knew she was Harry's mother. It's been fixed, sorry for the trouble I caused (no I'm not) :-P 


	9. Outsmarting the Prankster

Welcome back all!  
  
Whilst there were many reviews which made me laugh and think, I really have neither the time nor space to write responses in my works. Sorry to those of you who got that impression. I'll do it maybe every 5 or 6 chapters or so, but not more frequently than that.  
  
Now, to alert you all of new business. A faithful reader pointed out to me a weakness in the end of chapter 8 which could be better. After careful deliberation, I changed the last scene of Chapter 8 so that it's more artistic. Please go and read it if you wish.  
  
ONWARD!  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter 9: Outsmarting the Prankster  
  
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk reading over a report when there was a knock at his door.  
  
"Come in," he said nonchalantly. Lily entered and sat down in front of the headmaster without saying a word. "Is something the matter, Lily?" he asked. She considered him for a moment before exploding.  
  
"My son!" she yelled wide-eyed. "He's my son and you didn't even tell me! Why?!" Dumbledore sighed and leaned forward.  
  
"If I had told you, would you have believed me?" he asked. Lily opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She leaned back in the chair, defeated. "How did you find out?"  
  
"I overheard him and Hermione talking about it," she said. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at her. Fine! I listened in on them." Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"So I take it then, you know who the father is?" Lily sighed and buried her face in her hands.  
  
"Yes..." she mumbled.  
  
"So now, the most important question is: How are you feeling about all of this?" the headmaster asked. Lily sighed and ran her hands through her streaming red hair.  
  
"Overwhelmed," was the response she gave.  
  
"Perfectly understandable," replied Dumbledore. There was silence in the room for a short time until Lily spoke up.  
  
"The future..." she said. "How'd it happen? They didn't come back here on purpose, did they?"  
  
"No, from what I understand it was an accident."  
  
"Then what caused it?" Lily asked, suddenly motivated.  
  
"I'm afraid that the answer to that question is not mine to give," replied Dumbledore. "From what I know of them, I believe that Harry and Hermione will be more than happy to tell you everything you wish to know in due time. Don't forget though, that James will inevitably find out about this also. You need to be prepared for his reaction."  
  
"You don't think that he'd do anything rash, do you?" asked Lily.  
  
"One never knows, when it comes to James," replied the headmaster twinkling. Lily chuckled slightly at this. "Now, it's getting late," said Dumbledore. "You should go and get your rest, so you can enjoy your last day of freedom here before the year starts." Lily nodded and stood to leave. She stopped at the door, preparing to say something, but though better of it and descended the stairs back to the hallway below.  
  
=====  
  
'I need to know the truth,' Lily though to herself as she got into her bed that night. 'And he needs to know that I know. I have to make sure that it's the first thing he hears from me tomorrow.' She sighed. 'Harry Potter, the son of Lily and James Potter......' Lily didn't know how to feel about hearing that she would eventually marry (at least she hoped marry) the infamous James Potter and bear his son. Somehow, as she thought about it, it didn't seem as bad as it should've. With that notion, she closed her eyes and let her thoughts carry her off to sleep.  
  
=====  
  
Harry had an ominous feeling in his stomach when he awoke the next day. His first thought was Hermione, and he looked over to see that she was still laying in bed next to him, breathing softly. He smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face, and her eyes flickered open in response to his touch.  
  
"Sorry," he said smiling. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
"'S ok," Hermione replied sleepily. "Just so long as it's your face I see when I do wake up." Harry grinned.  
  
"It always will be if I have any say in things," he said. "So what do you want to do today?" Hermione sat up and stretched.  
  
"Keep you from getting hurt," she said. Harry's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what Hermione was talking about. "The Marauders?" she asked.  
  
"Oh," Harry replied disdainfully. "That."  
  
"Yes that," she said. "You know they're going to go through with whatever it is that they're planning, so we need to be prepared for it."  
  
"How can we be prepared for something that we know absolutely nothing about?" Harry asked sadly. "We were ready and waiting last year. Hell we even knew what was coming, but yet we still weren't prepared for it," he said solemnly, remembering that day in Hogsmeade about 5 months ago.  
  
"You don't think their prank will be on the same level of magnitude as that, do you?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I guess not."  
  
"Well then let's get you mentally prepared for it. Obviously, it's going to have all the elements of a good prank. You're not going to see it coming, parts of it are going to hurt, and it will make a great story afterward. So what could they do with dust that fills those requirements?"  
  
"Beats me," replied Harry. "I say let whatever happen, happen, and move on. We still have to choose all of our courses, don't we?"  
  
"Just our electives," answered Hermione getting out of the bed. "Transfiguration, charms, defense, and potions are already definite. We have two or three periods that we'll have nothing for, so we need to decide what to take during those time frames."  
  
"Definitely potions," said Harry also standing up. Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What? I bet it'll be loads easier than when Snape's teaching it, and besides, I want to learn my stuff so that when we get back to our own time I can rub it in his overlarge nose." Hermione huffed at this but couldn't repress a slight smile that appeared on her lips.  
  
"Come on," she said rolling her eyes. "We should go and get breakfast." Harry nodded and they walked down to the Great Hall hand in hand.  
  
=====  
  
"They're coming," said Sirius sitting down next to James.  
  
"You brought it, right?" he asked bringing a forkfull of eggs up towards his mouth. Sirius responded by dropping the pouch he had been showing off the previous night on the table.  
  
"Put it away!" Remus hissed. "The last thing you two need is to get caught."  
  
"Oh lighten up Moony," said James. "We're not going to get caught."  
  
"You said that exact same thing the time you tried to break into Professor Dumbledore's office to get that damned book," he said. "We may be Marauders, but even we are still liable to get caught every now and then."  
  
"Yeah yeah," said Sirius reaching for the jug of orange juice and sprinkling some of the dust in it. "But it's usually worth it. Prongs, if you would do the honors?"  
  
"My pleasure," said James pulling his wand from his robes. He inserted the tip of it into the jug and muttered a few words under his breath, causing the juice to glow slightly. After this was over, he vanished all the other jugs of orange juice on the Gryffindor table, and banished the one with the dust away from them a little ways. Just as he had pocketed his wand, Harry and Hermione came walking into the hall, still holding each other's hands. Sirius scowled.  
  
"I cannot wait to get them," he said through gritted teeth. "I wonder what kind of stuff they're hiding from us." Although Harry and Hermione were walking along the side of the table that Remus and Peter were sitting on, Harry noticed James and Sirius' stares as they passed the Marauders. Harry stopped and turned to face James with the steely glare he usually reserved for Malfoy.  
  
"Whatever it is you're planning," he whispered in a dangerous tone. "I don't care what happens. But if you do anything to hurt Hermione, then you will have real problem on your hands, regardless of who you are." With that he and Hermione stalked off down the table to sit next to Lily, who was staring absently at her eggs.  
  
Harry and Hermione sat down across from Lily, and the two of them began to pile food on their plates.  
  
"Where's the orange juice?" asked Hermione looking around. Seeing the jug down near the Marauders she sighed and went over to retrieve it. While she was gone, Harry took the opportunity to talk to his mother.  
  
"So how was your night?" he asked. Harry was greeted with a stare to rival the one he had just given his father moments earlier.  
  
"Lily?" asked Hermione tentatively returning with the juice and pouring herself some. Lily didn't respond, she only continued to glare at Harry.  
  
"Um......" began Harry with hesitation. "Did I do something wrong?" Lily's expression softened slightly, and she began to chuckle. "Are you ok?" asked Harry. "One minute you're staring daggers at me, and the next you're laughing? You're not going mad are you?" Lily's laughter died away and she returned her gaze to him, only without the death stare this time.  
  
"You know," she said. "The funny thing is that last night I did think I was going mad. Hearing that you're the wife of James Potter in the future can really put one's nerves on end." Harry's fork dropped, and Hermione's goblet clattered to the table, spilling the orange juice she had just been about to drink. Eyes wide, and color drained from his face, Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Lily cut him off. "It's ok," she said. "I wouldn't have told me either."  
  
"How....how did you find out?" he asked breathlessly.  
  
"I overheard you two last night," she said smiling. "I guess some of James really has rubbed off on me a little bit."  
  
"You eavesdropped?" asked Hermione incredulously.  
  
"Well I wanted answers and you two weren't giving them to me willingly," she said. "I knew there was more to you Harry, but I never imagined for a second that you were my son from the future." The color started to return to Harry's cheeks and he took the goblet of orange juice that Hermione had poured for him.  
  
"Thanks," he said not drinking from it. "I couldn't tell you, you'd have thought I was barking mad," Harry said. Lily nodded her head.  
  
"Probably, but it's better I found out anyway, because now we can prepare for the reaction that we're going to get when James over there finds out," Lily said. Harry nodded and drank deeply from his goblet.  
  
It started immediately. First, it was a slight chill. Then his eyes glazed over as a warm sensation spread throughout his body. Hermione and Lily were in conversation and didn't notice that Harry was in a daze. All of a sudden, a voice spoke up in his head.  
  
"Take your girlfriend's hand," it commanded. Somewhere in his brain, Harry registered that the voice sounded a lot like James'.  
  
"Why though?" a second voice in his head asked, that astonishingly sounded a lot like Hermione. Immediately Harry snapped back to his senses. He was about to look over at the Marauders when the voice sounded again.  
  
"Take your girlfriend's hand!" it repeated. Then it all clicked in Harry's head. His first thought after breaking free of the spell was 'It was the Imperious Curse,' but hearing the voice in his head again while he could think freely told him otherwise. All of a sudden he had an idea and grabbed Hermione's hand.  
  
"Harry?" asked Hermione worried. "What's wrong?" Harry continued to stare into space, and comprehension slowly dawned on her. She glanced back at James and Sirius, who were both smiling at their food. "Harry what's wrong?"  
  
"What's going on?" asked Lily.  
  
"They pranked him," said Hermione, her gaze still fixated on Harry. "I don't know what they did though. Immediately she felt Harry grasp her hand under the table. "Harry what are you-" she stopped as she felt him trace patterns on the back of her hand. "Harry what – oh...." she said as she realised what he was doing. He had been tracing letters on the back of her hand. I O-K. L-E-T T-H-E-M T-H-I-N-K P-L-A-N O-K. Hermione bent in close to his ear. "You better have a good reason for this," she whispered.  
  
"I do," he replied almost inaudibly, his lips barely moving. "Tell you later." Just then the voice went off in his head.  
  
"Get up from the table." Harry smiled inwardly, knowing that James thought he was controlling his actions, and got up. "Walk back to your dorm." Obliging, Harry began to leave the Great Hall. Hermione stood up to follow him, but was distracted when Lily spoke up.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, but Harry seems to be in control," Hermione responded. "I should follow him, just in case." Lily nodded and Hermione made to follow Harry, but found herself face to face with Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Um....I was wondering if you could help me out with a problem I'm having," he said shaking slightly.  
  
"Why? You four don't seem to like neither Harry nor I very much, so why should I help you?" Hermione responded in her best Head Girl voice possible.  
  
"Uh....." Peter ran back to the Marauders, but Hermione saw that Remus was the only one left. He muttered something to Remus and the werewolf just shook his head and told him to sit down. Knowing it had been a diversion, Hermione ran to the Entrance Hall looking for Harry, but he was nowhere to be found.  
  
Up in the dorm a few minutes later, Harry was standing with his back to the door and his wand hidden up his sleeve, waiting for the arrival of the Marauders, which he assumed would be any minute. True to his thoughts, the door opened and Harry could tell from the reflection in the mirror that it was just Sirius and James. 'Sit on your bed,' the voice commanded. Harry smiled and turned around, his wand out pointed at Sirius.  
  
"Incarcerous!" he bellowed. Not waiting to see if the spell took effect, he pointed his wand at James and yelled the same thing. Both fell to the ground bound by the hands and ankles with ropes, with identical looks of shock on their faces. Harry laughed. "Prank me? Hah. You should know better than to assume that all new students are completely incompetent." He stood there and waited for their response, but when none came, he spoke up again. "You can speak, you know."  
  
"How?" asked James.  
  
"How can you speak?" asked Harry feigning ignorance."  
  
"How did you do it all?" James reiterated. "That's what I want to know. First you find out about us planning to do something to you, and then you fight it off. How?"  
  
"First of all, if you're going to talk about planning to do something to someone, you should really put silencing charms on the room you're in. I overheard nearly everything last night. Second, you'll do well to know and remember from here on out that the Imperious Curse has no effect on me, so your little trick certainly had little chance of contain me either. Lucky for me your dust continued to keep the link to my head active, so I could still hear your orders." James and Sirius blinked in response before James' let out a laugh. Harry could feel his father's presence in his head disappear.  
  
"No way..." said Sirius.  
  
"Who drank it?" asked Harry quickly. James made a throaty sound much like a laugh.  
  
"Evans," he said smiling. Harry was on top of him in a flash, clutching the collar of his robes tightly.  
  
"You release her this instant," Harry whispered dangerously. "You have five seconds before I cast some very unpleasant things on you."  
  
"I already let her go," said James casually. "Honestly, why do you care so much? I thought you were with that Hermione girl."  
  
"Hermione," began Harry. "Happens to be my future wife. She is a woman, not a girl, and you will treat her as so. As for Lily, she happens to have been the only person who was remotely kind to us when we arrived, so forgive me if I want to maintain her friendship."  
  
"You're engaged?" asked Sirius.  
  
"Officially, no," replied Harry. "But I've told her that I plan on marrying her someday and she's already accepted." James snorted.  
  
"How do you even know you'll be together forever?" he asked.  
  
"Because I do," Harry replied. "And maybe if you'd stop being so bloody immature, you'd see that perhaps the person you care about might be able to return those feelings."  
  
"Lily?" asked James. "How do you know about that?"  
  
"Let's just say that I'm a well-informed person," replied Harry. "Now here's the deal. I'm going to leave this dorm now. I have no doubt that Remus or Pettigrew will find you and release you, but in the mean time, I want you both to think about the little chat we just had.  
  
"You know we'll have to get you back for this," said Sirius. If Harry didn't know better, he'd have sworn that Sirius tried to smile when he said this.  
  
"Maybe, but you should know that I learned from the best," Harry replied from the door.  
  
"I'm the best," said James laughing.  
  
"Not where I come from, PRONGS, you're not." And with that Harry closed the door behind him leaving Sirius and James in shock.  
  
"How in the bloody hell did he know my nickname was Prongs?"  
  
=====  
  
Harry returned to the Great Hall a few minutes later to find Hermione and Lily absent. The only people he recognized were Remus and Peter, both of who were wearing equal expressions of awe on their faces at Harry's entrance. Doing the first thing that came to his head, Harry ran towards the hospital wing, as he supposed that was where Hermione had taken Lily after she had drunk the juice.  
  
Not bothering to be quiet, Harry burst into the hospital wing and found Lily sitting up in one of the beds, Hermione sitting in a chair next to her. Madam Pomfrey (if she was still the resident nurse) was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione jumping up and embracing him tightly. "I didn't know where you had gone, so I went back into the Great Hall and found Lily all dazed and such, so I took her here. Madam Promfrey just stepped out to talk to Professor Munson for a moment."  
  
"Who?" asked Harry.  
  
"Professor Munson," said Hermione again. "He's the potions teacher." Harry gave a derisive snort. "Don't worry," she continued. "I've heard he's not all that bad."  
  
"He's not," said Lily. "Why, who's your Potions teacher in the future?" Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance before Harry replied.  
  
"Snape..." he mumbled.  
  
"WHAT?!" Lily yelled. "You can't be serious!"  
  
"I am," replied Harry. "And trust me, he's even worse then than he is now."  
  
"I'm so sorry," replied Lily. "Going through that must be unpleasant. I wonder what James says about it."  
  
"Not much," replied Harry truthfully.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Lily again. "So, any news of what happened?"  
  
"They put something in the orange juice," he answered. "You drank it, thus the result of you being here."  
  
"What did it do?" asked Hermione.  
  
"It seemed to have an effect similar to the Imperious Curse," said Lily drinking a small cup of water. "The moment I drank the juice, I felt myself drifting into a kind of peaceful world, where nothing seemed the matter. Of course I've only read about the Imperious Curse, I've never been under it."  
  
"It wasn't the Imperious Curse," said Harry. "I know what it feels like. It was similar, but there were several differences."  
  
"Like what?" asked Hermione, curiosity emanating from her.  
  
"Well it was kind of–"  
  
"Wait just a bloody minute," interjected Lily firmly. "When have you been under the Imperious Curse?" Harry and Hermione exchanged an extremely nervous glance.  
  
"Uhhhh......" stammered Hermione.  
  
"How much do you know about Voldemort, Lily?" Harry asked.  
  
"Not a whole lot aside from the fact that he hates muggles and muggle-borns," she replied. Harry sighed and took a seat at the foot of Lily's bed.  
  
"Draw the curtains, will you Hermione?" he asked. She nodded and closed them with a flick of her wand. "Silencio," he muttered. "The year is 1997 where we're from," he said.  
  
"1997?" Lily asked. "And you're in seventh year? That means that I'll have you three years from now?!"  
  
"Yes, but it doesn't matter at the moment," said Harry. "In 1997 Voldemort is the greatest threat on the face of the earth. He had lost most of his power, but regained it, and now he's twenty times stronger than he is at this point in time."  
  
"What does all of this have to do with you?" asked Lily. Harry looked at Hermione who had tears bristling in her eyes. Letting out a deep sigh, he continued.  
  
"I'm at the top of his hit-list," said Harry sadly. Lily's eyes widened and tears started to roll down her cheeks. "There's more," he continued. "In about two and a half years, in 1979 that is, there will be a prophecy made stating that I'm the only one who has the power to kill him. And 'neither can live while the other survives'," said Harry quoting the prophecy from memory. "Either I will kill him, or he will kill me." Lily was shaking now and he moved up closer to give her a hug.  
  
"Harry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry...."  
  
"Lily...." he said consolingly. "Mum....there's no reason to be sorry."  
  
"Of course there is," she said wiping her eyes. "What kind of a mother am I if I let you get to be the prime target for Voldemort? What's my reaction to all of this?" At this, Harry had to bite his lower lip in order to hold back the tears, but small pools of water formed at the corners of his eyes anyways.  
  
"I...I...I can't," he said letting go of Lily and breaking down. "Hermione, please. Tell her...I can't do it..." Hermione wiped her own tears away and looked into the same emerald green eyes of Lily's that Harry had inherited.  
  
"You and James..." she began, her voice quivering. "V-Voldemort....he killed both of you when Harry was 15 months old." Upon hearing this, Lily clasped her hand to her mouth and her already bloodshot eyes widened. A single tear could be seen rolling down Harry's face and landing on his lap.  
  
"I never knew you," he said shakily. "Nor dad, for that matter. I had to live with the Dursleys my entire life."  
  
"Who?" asked Lily, her brow slightly furrowed in confusion. Harry looked at her.  
  
"Your sister's family," he said through gritted teeth.  
  
"What?" Lily said in a very dangerous voice. "You had to live with my sister and whomever she married for your entire life?"  
  
"And their son," he said. "It wasn't very pleasant."  
  
"Oh, Harry," she said sliding over next to Harry and hugging him. There was silence for a moment until Hermione spoke up.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone for a moment," she said getting up. Harry grabbed her hand before she could go anywhere though.  
  
"Like hell you're going anywhere," he said with a slight smile. "As far as I'm concerned you're as much a part of my family as I am, so you're staying right here." Lily looked up at Harry at hearing this.  
  
"Are you two....?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"Married?" asked Harry with a slight chuckle. "No, but once the war is over I do plan on making her my wife." Lily smiled and motioned for Hermione to sit down on the other side of her, which she did. Putting an arm around Hermione, she looked at her.  
  
"My son and my future daughter-in-law," she said sniffling. "And after you leave to go back to where you came from I'll never see either of you like this again."  
  
"Don't say that," said Harry. "One of the many things that Dumbledore has taught me during the war, is that existence doesn't end with death. There's a place afterward that we all go to, and eventually we'll all be reunited there with each other." Lily gave another sniffle and smiled sadly.  
  
"Is it true that Sirius is dead too?" she asked. Harry bowed his head at this question.  
  
"He died at the end of our fifth year," Hermione said answering for Harry. "He was murdered by one of Voldemort's followers." Lily shook her head.  
  
"Both of you," she began. "I've known you each for about a day and I already can tell that you've gone through more than any of us could ever imagine in your lifetimes. And all I can do is sit here and tell you how sorry I am that I was never there for you before Harry, or you Hermione, for that matter."  
  
"Don't be sorry," said Harry. "If it makes you feel any better, when Voldemort killed you, you protected me with your love. He tried to kill me, and consequently the curse backfired upon him, resulting in his first downfall. It's why I have this scar," he said pulling up his bangs for Lily to see the lighting-shaped scar on his forehead. "You saved my life."  
  
"Well that does make me feel slightly better," Lily admitted. "I hate to bring bad memories to your mind, but I need to ask you one more thing."  
  
"What's that?" asked Harry.  
  
"How did you end up here?" Harry sighed.  
  
"Do you know about the Tome of the Spellmaker?" he asked.  
  
"Actually yes," Lily replied. "James tried to steal it from Dumbledore at the end of last year."  
  
"Well we made a spell using it," continued Harry. "It was to transport the caster, along with one person that the caster chooses, and their belongings to the safest place possible."  
  
"Why would you make a spell like that?" Lily asked. Harry sighed again.  
  
"Well in the future Voldemort has a connection to me through my scar," he said. "He found out that Hermione and I were in love with each other."  
  
"We don't know exactly when he found out," Hermione said "But soon after we were faced with the problem that I would be a target."  
  
"Why?" asked Lily.  
  
"Because Voldemort wants to see me suffer," said Harry. "It doesn't help that Hermione's muggle-born." Lily nodded her understanding.  
  
"So as a result, we made the spell in order to keep me safe," said Hermione. "We thought it would be best to have an escape plan if I was ever attacked."  
  
"So I take it you were attacked and the spell brought you here?" asked Lily again.  
  
"Something like that," said Harry. "We were on the Hogwarts Express when the train was attacked by death eaters. In my haste, I cast the spell, and we ended up here."  
  
"So why can't you just make a spell to go back?"  
  
"Dumbledore's friend Nicolas Flamel has the tome," replied Hermione.  
  
"I'm sorry to break up the reunion, but I need to speak with Harry and Hermione for a minute," came the voice of Albus Dumbledore through the curtains. Harry jumped up and pulled the curtains back to let the headmaster in.  
  
"Professor," he said. "How could you hear us? I put a privacy charm on the curtains."  
  
"Oh we all have our ways of doing things," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But I do need to talk to you and Hermione quickly.  
  
"I'll go then," Lily said standing up.  
  
"No, stay," said Harry adamantly. Lily looked at the headmaster for permission and he nodded. She sat back down in-between Harry and Hermione as Dumbledore replaced the curtains and muttered a spell to make sure that no one could open it.  
  
"I'll get right to the chase," he said sitting down in the chair that Hermione had occupied. "Nicolas Flamel has gone missing."  
  
"Please tell me you're joking," said Harry. The headmaster shook his head, causing Harry to laugh. "It just never gets any easier, does it?"  
  
"Doesn't he have the Tome right now?" asked Lily. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"So do we have any leads?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Aside from the fact that we're reasonably sure that he was kidnaped, none," replied the headmaster.  
  
"Well we know that he's safe, wherever he is," said Harry. "Last time I checked, he had only recently passed away after finally exhausting the last of the Elixir. That was sometime during fifth year, I believe." Dumbledore smiled at Harry.  
  
"The less I know about the future, the better," he said grinning. "I don't want to know how you know about the stone."  
  
"Let's just say I had a little run-in with someone who was trying to steal it in my first year," said Harry. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Well I just came here to tell you that until we can locate Nicolas, you two will be stuck here. Rest assured, the Ministry has been notified and the Aurors are already searching for him. No one knows how long it will take to get results though."  
  
"I understand," said Harry. Dumbledore stood to leave, but Harry remembered something that he had been meaning to ask. "Professor?" The headmaster turned. "Out of curiosity, are there any positions on the Gryffindor quidditch team available?" Dumbledore beamed at him.  
  
"Well, you'll obviously know that your father occupies a chaser position, but I believe that the seeker position needs to be filled. Tryouts will be a week from this Saturday, as I understand it," Dumbledore said, answering Harry's next question.  
  
"Thanks," replied Harry smiling. After Dumbledore left Hermione turned on Harry.  
  
"You cannot be serious," she said. "You're not actually going to tryout for the quidditch team, are you? You know how scared I get when you play."  
  
"Are you kidding Hermione?" asked Harry. "The opportunity to play as a SEEKER alongside my father-  
  
"And mother," Lily interjected. Hermione and Harry stared at her with wide eyes. "What?" she asked. "Surely you know that I'm the keeper for the team?" Harry shook his head.  
  
"No one ever told me..." he said. Lily frowned.  
  
"I wonder why..." she said. Hermione broke the silence a few minutes later.  
  
"Fine, Harry, you win," Hermione relented. "But if you make the team and get hurt, I swear I will spend the rest of our lives saying 'I told you so' to you every night before we go to bed." Lily laughed.  
  
"You don't like flying Hermione?" she asked.  
  
"I'm terrified of it," she admitted. "I flew once back in our first year, and that was enough for me."  
  
"Well, if we're all done bickering like in-laws," Harry began smiling. "Perhaps we should go and check on James and Sirius. I don't want them to be tied up for too long." Lily laughed.  
  
"You incarcerated James and Sirius?" she asked.  
  
"They never saw it coming," said Harry. Hermione gave him a stern look, but smiled, and the three of them set off towards Gryffindor Tower.  
  
When the three of them arrived in the common room, Harry was greeted with four wands pointed right at his head.  
  
"James you put your wand down this instant!" shrieked Lily. "And tell your friends to do the same!"  
  
"Not this time Evans," said James. "Lockheart here has done wrong, and needs to be punished for it."  
  
"Oh and I'm sure that trying to put him under an Imperious Curse-like spell doesn't break a single rule," yelled Hermione. The Marauders glanced at James at this.  
  
"You're not involved in this," he said after some consideration. "Back away."  
  
"Like hell I will!" yelled Hermione.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Harry bellowed. "James, if you want to settle this, we'll do it the old fashioned way. Being a Marauder you ought to know about the Room of Requirement, let's head over there, shall we?" There was a shocked silence as the Marauders looked from one to the next at this challenge. Finally, James spoke.  
  
"If that's the way you'll have it, then fine by me!" he said.  
  
"Good," Harry replied. "Five minutes." And with that he marched right back out of the common room, followed by Hermione and Lily.  
  
"You can't possibly imagine dueling with your own father?" asked Hermione in a whisper.  
  
"Can't I? He needs some sense knocked into him," Harry responded.  
  
"Harry, I couldn't agree more," said Lily. "But I should warn you, James didn't get to be Head Boy by being dumb." Lily stopped for a moment to ponder at what she had just said.  
  
"I didn't escape Voldemort four times by being dumb either," Harry responded not caring that Lily had stopped. After a few minutes of silence, they arrived at the all too familiar seventh floor corridor. After pacing up and down the hallway three times, the door materialized and Harry yanked the handle open. The three of them stepped inside to find themselves in a large arena.  
  
"It's large enough," said Lily.  
  
"It'll do fine," said Harry. At that moment the Marauders walked in, and James gave Harry a sick smile.  
  
"Glad to see you know how to use the facilities, Lockheart," he said. "Although why, I can't possibly imagine."  
  
"It's none of your business," Harry replied coldly. "Enough chit-chat. Let's get this started."  
  
"As you wish," replied James with a sick smile. "Nievathroma!" A blast of orange light shot from the tip of his wand and flew at Harry, who rolled out of the way in the nick of time.  
  
"Diffindo," muttered Harry. A rush of violet light streaked at James' torso, and instead of moving, he just stood there and smiled. The spell hit, and Harry rushed forward to make sure that he hadn't cut his opponent up too badly, but found himself facing James, who was smiling and perfectly unharmed.  
  
"You have much to learn, Lockheart," said James. "Remorso Flagrates!" A long whip of fire emanated from his wand, and he twirled it about his head before releasing it at Harry. Again, Harry narrowly avoided being hit by it and saw that James was laughing.  
  
"Everte Statum!" Harry bellowed. Again, the spell hit, but again no damage was done to James. Roaring laughter could now be heard from all of the Marauders, not just Harry's future father. Desperate, he looked to Hermione for help.  
  
"Think!" she mouthed pointing at her head. Harry thought for a minute then realization dawned on him.  
  
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" asked James. "Locomotor Mortis!"  
  
Harry saw the thin jet of light move towards him, but instead of running, he stood firmly in place. 'I need something to shield me' he thought, and in the instant before the spell would've hit him, a pane of glass several inches thick appeared between him and the oncoming spell. The spell hit the glass, which then disappeared. Harry looked back at the Marauders and found none of them were laughing anymore. James, however, was stilling smiling.  
  
"Very good," he said putting his wand away. "Now that you know what you're up against, let's play a more dangerous game." And with those words Harry found a hundred spears rushing at him from all points of the room.  
  
'I need to escape..." Harry thought, and the Room transported him away from the spears, which proceeded to shatter against each other.  
  
"Potter stop this right now!" Lily screamed.  
  
"I'm sorry to do this Lily, but conflicts need to be settled one way or the other," he replied, and both Lily and Hermione found themselves chained to the wall with their mouths bound and a small shield surrounding both of them. "So you can't interfere," he said. As James turned back to his opponent he found that Harry was gone. "Where've you gone?" he asked the silence of the room in a sing-song voice. He was greeted with a loud reverberating laugh.  
  
"You want a battle of wits?" Harry's magically amplified voice boomed throughout the room. "You've got it." Immediately the Marauders were bound and gagged by magically conjured ropes, and about 4 stunners were sent at each from different directions. Only James managed to escape in time.  
  
"You learn quickly," he said breathing hard. A smile crossed his lips as he screwed up his face in concentration. A loud thud could be heard off in the distance of the arena as Harry reappeared, landing on the floor of the arena hard.  
  
"Better than not learning at all," Harry said through gritted teeth. One last time he thought hard of what he needed, and found James bound tightly by Devil's Snare, the same shield surrounding him that was surrounding Lily and Hermione. Panting, Harry stood up and faced his father who was quickly losing consciousness from the grasp the plant had on his air supply.  
  
"Help me...." James breathed.  
  
"Say you forfeit," replied Harry.  
  
"Hey....I'm dying here..." James said turning red. "Help me out..."  
  
"I'm not falling prey to any Marauder tricks," Harry replied. "Forfeit, and you're free."  
  
"You....win...." said James, his face turning from red to blue.  
  
'I need to have everyone back to their original state before this duel started,' Harry thought, and instantly the Devil's Snare vanished, along with the restraints that bound everyone else in the room. The other three Marauders also regained consciousness. James slumped to the floor and Sirius rushed over to him.  
  
"Prongs...what happened?" he asked helping James to his feet.  
  
"I......I lost," replied James taking deep breaths. The Marauders looked at him as if he were Lucifer himself. Without answering, James stormed out of the room followed by the other three, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Lily in silence.  
  
"He...is...such...an...idiot!" Lily exclaimed growing red in the face. "One of you could've been killed!"  
  
"I doubt it," replied Harry. "Once I figured out that the room would obey my thoughts, it became easily to manipulate it so that we could avoid injury."  
  
"Can we not stay here?" asked Hermione. "I'd prefer if I could go somewhere to sit down after watching that." Immediately the room changed into the Gryffindor common room. Lily and Hermione looked at Harry, who shrugged.  
  
"It gets easy after a little while," he said. Hermione shook her head at him but sat down on the couch nonetheless. Harry took a seat next to her, and Lily sat in one of the armchairs by the fire.  
  
"Are you sure that I'm your mother and he's your father?" Lily asked. "After that display I don't see how I could ever stand to bear that man's child."  
  
"Don't ask me," said Harry. "No one ever told me the details."  
  
"I suppose not," said Lily.  
  
=====  
  
During dinner that evening, Harry, Hermione, and Lily kept glancing over at the Marauders who were staring quite intently at Harry.  
  
"Wonder what they're up to," said Hermione quietly.  
  
"Probably planning to get me back in some way or another," replied Harry. At that moment, James and the rest of his gang stood up and left the Great Hall in silence.  
  
"Reckon we should follow them?" asked Lily.  
  
"Can't hurt," replied Harry. "You never know what they could be planning, and it might help to be one step ahead." The two girls nodded and they silently left the Great Hall. As they arrived in the Entrance Hall, Hermione saw them go up towards the tower, and nudged Harry. He nodded, and the three of them followed in silence. When they arrived at the portrait hole, they found that it had been left open, and they walked in closing it behind them.  
  
"We need to talk," said James as soon as the portrait was closed. He appeared out of thin air from under his invisibility cloak, followed moments later by Sirius, Remus, and Peter.  
  
"What's there to talk about?" asked Hermione icily. "Unless you plan on trying to kill Harry again." James snorted.  
  
"We were never trying to kill Harry," said James.  
  
"Oh and a hundred spears at his head qualifies as friendly tickling?" asked Lily in the same tone. James laughed at this.  
  
"I knew he was smart enough to get out of the way in time," James replied. "If not, I could've saved him anyway. Now let's sit down, there's some things we need to discuss."  
  
The two girls looked at Harry skeptically, but he nodded and sat down on the couch anyway. Lily and Hermione sat down next to him, while Remus and Peter occupied the armchairs on either side. Sirius and James stayed standing.  
  
"That was impressive, what you did earlier today, Harry," said James.  
  
"Thanks," Harry said. "But somehow I get the feeling that a congratulations isn't the reason why we're all sitting here." James and Sirius chuckled at this.  
  
"Too right you are," said Sirius. "You're here because we all wanted to apologize." Harry, Lily, and Hermione looked at each other in stunned silence, before James continued.  
  
"We didn't know you, and we judged you based on your appearance," he said. "That was wrong of us."  
  
"What they're trying to say is that we were all idiots, and you deserved to be treated better, especially in a new school," said Lupin from his chair.  
  
"You telling me the truth?" asked Harry. James nodded. "Why the sudden change in attitude? From what Lily tells me you've been a notorious prankster all your life. Why become soft now?" James reddened a little bit at this.  
  
"Getting beaten to the point where you're forced to give up can be very humbling," he said softly. "Anyways, I've said what I wanted to say. I'm going to bed now." And with that he walked off to the dorms, accompanied by Sirius and Peter.  
  
"Don't take it personally Harry," said Remus getting up. "He'll come around. You've already proven yourself in his eyes, he just needs to accept it." Harry nodded and Lupin followed his friends up to the dorm.  
  
"Well..." said Hermione. "That was certainly interesting."  
  
"Yeah...." replied Harry staring off into space.  
  
A few minutes passed where none of them said anything, and then Lily stood up.  
  
"Well I'm really tired," she said. "I'm going to head off to bed. You two are free to use the Head Boy room again if you wish."  
  
"Thanks Lily," said Hermione. Lily nodded and with that she left Harry and Hermione on the couch in silence.  
  
"Do you think he was sincere?" she asked after a few moments.  
  
"It's tough to tell," Harry replied. "I hope so, it means that he's coming around and that I might even get to see my parents together before we have to go back."  
  
"Speaking of which," Hermione said. "You're not planning on going after Flamel with Dumbledore and the rest of them once they figure out where he is, are you?" Harry looked at her and ran a hand through her bushy hair.  
  
"You know something?" he asked. "I think that this time, knowing he's going to be alright, I'll stay here with you." Hermione cuddled up to him and put her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks," she whispered before she fell asleep, Harry shortly thereafter.  
  
---------------  
  
A/N: As I was beta-ing this chapter, a few thoughts popped into my head about some questions people might have, and I want to answer them. First of all, Harry letting the Marauders know about the secrets of Hogwarts is on purpose. There need to be some clues for them along the way to helping them realise the truth. Second, Flamel is missing, but like I wrote, Harry won't be going on the rescue mission to get him. It's merely a means of keeping him and Hermione back there for a while. Third, the truth will get revealed next chapter, so you won't have to wait very long.  
  
A/N#2: A person brought to my attention that in an interview, James was actually a chaser, not a seeker, so that passage has been changed from the original writing, which had James as seeker, and Harry trying out for beater (And I'm not going against cannon by having Lily play, you'll find out in four or five chapters why Harry never knew she played).  
  
That being said, that's all for this week! Catch you later. 


	10. Tricks, Tryouts, and Truths

::cricks neck::stretches:: yawns:: Although I find that I write my best at around 2-3 in the morning, I do get a little tired.  
  
A/N: I got a review which brought a point out in the open which I had been thinking about for some time. This story is rated R. Currently, the content has perhaps been mature enough to warrant a PG-13, at best. I want to assure all of my readers that in time, the story will live up to its rating. Most of the R-rated material will come towards the end of the story (It will be violence, not sex. Sorry, but I've only written smut once before and I don't want to ruin this story with bad judgement.). If you want to read the smut piece that goes in the middle of Chapter 2, it's called The Best Birthday Ever, and will only be posted on Portkey (as Fanfiction doesn't allow NC-17 works). Thank you all for your continuing patience.   
  
A/N#2: Speaking of smut, WOW! I never expected the response I got from 'The Best Birthday Ever'. I'd like to personally thank each and every one of you who reviewed, and as of right now, I have not received a single bad review (which is a record for me). Remind me to write smut more often, it nearly doubled the number of reviews I got for this story since Chapter 8. A round of beers for everyone!  
  
A/N#3: I made a fix in chapter 4, which removed the use of the 'Light Mark' on Order members' arms. I realised that I hadn't been putting it to use, and the plot bunny that had been carrying that idea got shot and killed. Sorry to disappoint you all, that portion of this story no longer exists.  
  
BTW, I was really tired when I beta'ed this chapter, so forgive me if there are more errors than usual.  
  
Well, you all were asking for it, and here it is: the truth revealed.  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter 10: Tricks, Tryouts, and Truths  
  
"Harry, Hermione, wake up," said Lily softly.  
  
"Mmmefedra," mumbled Harry sleepily.  
  
"C'mon I'm not joking! Breakfast's already started and we have classes in half an hour!" she whispered urgently. Hermione immediately sat bolt upright on the couch.  
  
"Why didn't you wake us up earlier?!" she exclaimed getting up.  
  
"You looked too peaceful to disturb," said Lily smiling. Hermione gave a frustrated growl and tore up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. Lily chuckled. "What's with her?"  
  
"School is the most important thing to her," Harry said yawning and sitting up. "You should've seen her back in our first year, going on about how 'We need to pass these exams in order to get into second year!'," he finished with a grin. Lily chuckled.  
  
"She really didn't say that, did she?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Bit of a bookworm?"  
  
"Understatement of the century," he said laughing. "But I love her all the more because of it."  
  
"You should go get ready, I daresay you'll have missed half of breakfast already," Lily said.   
  
"Yeah, yeah," said Harry. He got up and ran a hand through his hair, which provoked a snort from Lily.   
  
"Just like your father," she said. Harry gave her a accusing stare, but went up to his dorm to change anyways.  
  
Upon entering the dorm he walked over to his trunk and opened the lock (which required the use of some nifty spellwork, considering he had charmed it so that it could only be opened by him). Taking out some fresh clothes, he stripped down and began to change when a voice to his right made him jump a foot in the air.  
  
"Not hungry either?" James said from his own bed. Harry spun around panting.  
  
"You have to scare me like that?" he asked, calming slightly. James smiled.  
  
"Considering what you've done in the past day, it's about the only payback I'll probably ever get."  
  
"You're not still on about revenge, are you?" Harry asked pulling on his shirt and buttoning it.  
  
"Nah," said James. "No point really, since you've already shown that there's nothing we could do to get you anyway."  
  
"Good," said Harry. "Glad to see you're growing up." At this James crossed his arms.  
  
"And what information do you possess that let's you know I had some growing up to do?" he asked derisively.   
  
"Let's just say I've had run-ins with people who know you," said Harry smiling to himself. James eyes narrowed in a glare.  
  
"Lily?" he asked.  
  
"Not just her," Harry replied. "I've met a certain Slytherin who you dislike very much."  
  
"Snivellus," James said growling. "Knows less about me than you."  
  
"A great deal then," retorted Harry. Hearing this, James stood up to face him.  
  
"Listen," he said. "I don't know who you are, or where you come from. But I'd appreciate it if you tell me how it is you claim to know so much about me." Harry laughed.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're not as thick as you appear James," he said. "But I'm not telling you the answer to that right now."  
  
"Why not?" James demanded.  
  
"Because if I told you right now, you'd think I was mad."  
  
"I already think you're mad," he said. "Try me." Harry laughed again.  
  
"Not right now," he repeated. "I daresay you'll find out eventually, but you're not ready to hear the answer yet." And with that, Harry left the dorm thinking about how much he sounded like Dumbledore at the end of his first year.  
  
=====  
  
Harry, Hermione, and Lily arrived in the Great Hall to find Professor McGonagal already handing everyone their schedules. Noticing that she was halfway down the Gryffindor table already, they hurriedly rushed to their seats.  
  
"Ms. Granger and Mr...." began McGonagal eyeing them as she walked over next to Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Lockheart," Harry finished quickly. "Harry Lockheart." McGonagal peered over her spectacles at him and bent down so she could speak in a soft voice.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore has informed me of your situation, Mr. Potter," she said. "I want you to know, although I do not know all the details, that I am most sympathetic towards you and Ms. Granger." Harry and Hermione blanched. Neither had known Professor McGonagal to be one to show pity.  
  
"It's not so bad," said Harry. "I do get to see my parents, at least."  
  
"Yes, about that..." said McGonagal reaching for their schedules. "You might be pleased to know that your schedules are identical to that of your parents'. I will tell you now, however, that I do not permit any interruptions in my class –"  
  
"We know Professor," interrupted Hermione. "You've been our teacher for the past six years in the future." McGonagal looked mildly surprised at this.  
  
"Well I'm glad to hear that I'm still a teacher here in twenty years time," she said straightening up. "That will be all. And Ms. Evans, here is your schedule as well."  
  
"Thanks," said Lily, who was eyeing her orange juice carefully. McGonagal walked off and Harry turned and faced Lily.  
  
"So what do we have first?" he asked. Lily looked away from her goblet, giving up on examining its contents, and gazed at her schedule.  
  
"Potions," she said. "With the Slytherins. Then double charms and we finish the day out with Defense." Harry groaned slightly at this.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I was just hoping that I might not have to endure Snape in Potions," he said. "Oh well, I guess you can't have everything in life."  
  
"He's not all that bad," Lily said. "Just keeps to himself, mostly."  
  
"Except when James and Sirius are hanging him upside-down in midair showing off his underwear for the school to see," mumbled Harry.  
  
"How'd you know about that?" Lily asked. "Never mind, I forgot. You're from the future, you know everything."  
  
"Well, not everything," admitted Harry. "Now Hermione here, SHE knows everything." Hermione swatted at him playfully.   
  
"Well without my help you'd have never passed your final exams," she said smirking.  
  
"How very true," commented Harry staring at her. There was a small silence for a moment as the two gazed at each other with interest when Lily cleared her throat.  
  
"Come on, you two," she said. "No snogging here. People are trying to eat." Harry and Hermione snapped out of their reverie.   
  
"We should start heading for the dungeons," said Hermione. "Class starts in five minutes." The other two nodded and gathered up their things for the walk to the potions classroom.  
  
Hermione and Lily were conversing with each other during the walk, but Harry was lost in his thoughts. Contrary to what Lily had believed, he was not about to snog Hermione senseless in the Great Hall. In fact, he had been fairly certain that he was talking to her in his head while they were staring at each other. 'What could this mean?' he thought. 'Perhaps it had been some sort of Legilimancy-'   
  
"Harry, class is starting," whispered Hermione. He had been so engrossed in his thinking that he completely failed to notice that he had followed Hermione and Lily into the dungeons and was now seated next to them.  
  
"Class..." said the Professor in a low voice. "Most of you know me, but for those of you who don't –" he cast a glance at Harry and Hermione. "I am Professor Munson. This is the N.E.W.T. level potions class for 7th years, those of you who are in the wrong place, leave now." Harry hadn't expected anyone to stand, but to his surprise, a strangely familiar young girl with pink-hair who looked to be in her fourth year or so got up and stumbled out of the classroom.  
  
"Now that we haven't any students who don't belong here," drawled Munson. "Here are your potion instructions. Begin." And with that he went and took a seat at his desk.  
  
"Dear me..." said Hermione eyeing the blackboard. "The Vulnero Draught was outlawed in 1983. Why are they teaching us how to brew it?"  
  
"It's 1977, remember?" said Lily.   
  
"Still though, this potion is deadly," Hermione whispered.   
  
"What's it do?" asked Harry.  
  
"It takes away good feelings, such as relaxation, pleasure, and love, and instead replaces them with pain," Hermione said. "If it goes untreated, eventually the drinker feels nothing but pain, and eventually suffocates because they cannot breathe without passing out, the hurt is so great. It's probably one of the worst ways to go in the world."  
  
It was at this point that Harry heard a derisive sneer from somewhere to his left. Looking over, he saw none other than Severus Snape himself carefully adding ingredients and mixing his potion carefully. Every once in a while he would look up towards the front of the room where the Marauders were sitting quietly brewing their potions. Harry continued to stare, and eventually Snape glanced in his direction, only to do a double take.  
  
"Hey," Harry whispered to Lily and Hermione. "Look at the way Snape is looking at me. This time he truly doesn't know who I am and I can tell he already hates me." And Harry wasn't joking either. The stare that his future Potions teacher was giving him was rivaling the Malfoy family's.   
  
"He doesn't matter," said Hermione. "Harry! You haven't even started yet? Get to work!" With that Harry put all his thoughts about the future out of his mind and concentrated on his potion.  
  
=====  
  
Surprisingly, the first few days of the school year went without incident. Ever since Harry's little chat with James, the Marauders had stayed away from him, Hermione, and Lily. Harry wanted to believe James about him not wanting revenge, but something in his father's eyes told him that James was up to something. Harry related his feelings about this to Hermione and Lily in the courtyard that Friday after classes.  
  
"I don't know," said Harry hesitantly. "He's definitely planning something, I just don't know what."  
  
"Well I seriously doubt that you're going to be the victim of it," Lily said. "James isn't stupid enough to get himself embarrassed like that again."  
  
"Yeah, well...hey look who it is..." Harry said nodding in the direction of a slowly approaching Snape. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"It's strange, not to be noticed by him after all these years...isn't it?" she asked. Harry gave a distinct snort.  
  
"What, you think that he just sits in the dungeons during potions and stares into his cauldron waiting for the water to boil?" he said derisively.  
  
"He doesn't?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Lord no," Harry replied. "Every time I glance over at him, he's either looking at James and Co., or he's staring at us."  
  
"That doesn't really surprise me," said Lily. "He had a crush on me last year."  
  
"WHAT?!" shouted Harry and Hermione in unison.   
  
"Yeah, you didn't know about that Harry?" asked Lily.  
  
"No!" he responded angrily. "How could he have a crush on you? He called you a...a mudblood." Harry said the last two words in a hushed voice.  
  
"He must've just been confused about his feelings," said Hermione. "It kinda makes sense once you think about it." Harry looked at her as if she were a blast-ended skrewt.   
  
"Makes sense?" he asked incredulously. "It makes about as much sense as me saying that Malfoy had a crush on YOU!" At this Hermione turned away from Harry, her face turning slightly red. Harry's eyes widened in realisation. "Please tell me that what I just said isn't true?" he asked.  
  
"It's true," Hermione said softly. Harry let out a low growl and ran his hands through his hair.  
  
"I'm going to kill him," he said. "I'm going to learn how to transfigure humans, turn him into a ferret, and feed him to Buckbeak."  
  
"There's no point, he doesn't like me anymore," said Hermione. "At least not that I know of."  
  
"How'd you find out?" Harry asked.   
  
"He cornered me one day and straight out told me. He said that he didn't expect me to return the feelings, but that he had to tell me before he burst."  
  
"And he never told you why he appeared to hate you so much?" Harry asked.  
  
"That's obvious," Hermione said. "It's because I'm friends with you. You two really rub each other the wrong way, you know."  
  
"It's amusing," said Lily, "But that's exactly what happened with me and Snape. Although he took it a little worse than this Malfoy person." Harry sighed and put his head in his hands.   
  
"Talking about me behind my back?" asked a sneering voice from in front of them. The three of them had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they failed to notice that Snape had been passing just as Lily had mentioned his name.  
  
"If you must know Snape, then yes, we were talking about you behind your back," said Harry lazily. Snape's sneer became more menacing at this.  
  
"And who, pray tell are you?" he asked icily.  
  
"Harry Lockheart," Harry said standing. "Although I daresay you know me well enough by the way you stare at me in Potions."  
  
"Harry..." said Hermione warningly. Snape's sneer turned into a lopsided smile.  
  
"You should listen to your girlfriend, Lockheart," said he said. "On second thought, though, you might be better off without her advice. She looks to be a mudblood, just like Evans here." Harry plunged his hand into his robes without a second thought, when all of a sudden, there was a noise similar to a gunshot, and smoke everywhere. Coughing, Harry stood back and saw as the smoke cleared, that Snape was spinning like a top in the air, clearly under the full-body bind.  
  
"WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CALLING EVANS THAT?" roared the voice of James a few feet to the right of them, flanked by the Marauders.   
  
"James, let him go," said Lily as if she was bored.  
  
"No Lily. When he insults you, along with a girl he doesn't even know, he needs to be punished," James said. Lily got up to go over to James but was blocked by Sirius.  
  
"Don't make me hex you," she warned threateningly.  
  
"Do it if you must," replied Sirius. "But Snape will pay just the same." Lily huffed and drew her wand, but seeing that Sirius was not moving, she relented and sat back down next to Harry and Hermione.  
  
"You're not going to stop him?" asked Hermione.   
  
"What's the point?" Lily answered. "I can't stop these fights no matter how hard I try. In the end, they always – HARRY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Harry had his wand out and was conjuring up snowballs, which he proceeded to send zooming at the still spinning Snape, making them bounce off his head. Harry reddened at being caught but didn't relent.  
  
"Harry quit it," said Hermione reprovingly.   
  
"Nah," he said sending another snowball at Snape which splattered all over his face.. "I've wanted to do this for too long." Stealing a glance at the Marauders, Lily saw that they were all doubled over with laughter. James, catching Lily's gaze, wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and flicked his wand. Instantly Snape disappeared.  
  
"Where did you send him?" Lily asked in a very motherly tone.  
  
"The hospital wing," said James coming over to the three of them, followed by the Marauders who were still laughing. "Lockheart my lad, that was a fine bit of conjuring there."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry. "You didn't do too bad yourself."  
  
"Yeah well, I can't stand to hear him talk to Lily like that. Not to mention Hermione, who he doesn't even know." Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards his father at hearing this.  
  
"It doesn't mean that you handled it the right way," said Lily. "I'm used to hearing him call me stuff like that, you know."  
  
"Yeah, but you can't tell us that it doesn't affect you," said Sirius. Lily bowed her head slightly.  
  
"All right," she said. "Thanks. I suppose he did deserve it, but you should really be more careful about doing that to him in public, you could've lost us a lot of points."  
  
"You know that I'd just award Gryffindor points until I made up the ones I lost," James said smiling.  
  
"Way to abuse the Head Boy position," said Lily. "Don't you ever feel guilty about doing stuff like that?"  
  
"Sometimes," admitted James. "But you've always been there to punish me, so it generally takes the guilt away." Lily blushed as she realised the truth to this statement. The two continued in their conversation as Harry grinned and put his arm around Hermione.  
  
"It begins," he whispered in her ear. Hermione smiled at him at gave him a quick kiss.   
  
"What was that about?" asked James staring past Lily at the two of them. "What begins?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," said Harry. James shook his head at him.  
  
"Someday I'll find out, Harry," he said.   
  
"Yeah, you will," Harry admitted. "But until then, you have to just keep wondering." James gave a slight laugh at this before continuing his conversation with Lily. Sirius, however sauntered around behind Lily over to Harry and Hermione  
  
"Hey Lockheart," he said sitting down. "I want you to know, the snowballs? That was brilliant. I'd have never thought to do that one in a million years."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry with a smile. "Although I don't know if it's saying much." Sirius grinned at him.  
  
"Gonna make me prove my worth?" he asked.  
  
"It's a thought," said Harry with a lopsided grin.  
  
"If you think that I'm dueling you, you're very much mistaken," he said.  
  
"Frightened?" asked Hermione with a smile. Sirius looked at her menacingly, but then gave a small laugh.  
  
"I guess you could call it that," he said. "So how is it that I need to 'prove myself' to you Harry?" Harry thought about this for a second then an idea came across his mind.  
  
"How about a race?" he asked smiling. "First to complete ten laps around the grounds. You can fly, can't you?" he added at the end seeing Sirius' shocked look at Harry's first proposal. Letting out a chuckle he turned to the Marauders.  
  
"Did you guys hear that?" he asked. "Lockheart here just challenged me to a race." James stopped talking with Lily and looked at him.  
  
"On brooms?" he asked smiling. Sirius nodded. "Lockheart, you do know that Sirius was the best flyer Hogwarts had seen until he got kicked off the quidditch team."  
  
"What'd you get kicked off for?" Hermione asked. Sirius guffawed.   
  
"I threw my beater's bat at the other team's seeker," he said. "He'd said some bad things about James."  
  
"Hmmm, well I'm still offering you the challenge," he said. "You accept?"  
  
"Ten laps around the grounds on brooms?" asked Sirius laughing. "You're on."  
  
"Very good," Harry said. "Accio Firebolt!" Lily and the Marauders looked at him with confusion, as Harry's broom came hurtling into the courtyard.   
  
"Now?" asked Sirius.  
  
"Unless you have plans," Harry responded. Sirius nodded and took out his own wand.  
  
"Accio Comet!" And moments later Sirius' broom flew into his grip. Both riders mounted their brooms and looked at each other.  
  
"Would you like a head start?" asked Harry. "To make it fair and all." Sirius looked at the Marauders like he was mad.  
  
"Sure," he said turning back to Harry.  
  
"Very well, I'll give you a ten second head start then," Harry said. "Whenever you're ready." With that Sirius nodded and zoomed off into the air.  
  
"You think you have a chance this way?" asked Remus. Harry turned and looked at him.  
  
"You think HE has a chance this way?" asked Harry.  
  
"3...2...1...GO!" shouted Lily and Harry rocketed off to catch up to Sirius.  
  
"Bloody hell," said James looking after him. "I've never seen anyone take off so fast." Hermione snickered at this.  
  
"By the way, Harry's has the fastest broom world," she said. James looked at her and laughed.  
  
"Sure he does."  
  
"Just watch," said Hermione.  
  
Up in the air Harry could see Sirius about 500 feet ahead of him. They had already completed four laps, and Harry could tell that James wasn't joking when he said that Sirius was one of the best flyers at Hogwarts. However 500 feet was nothing when it came to a Firebolt versus a Comet, and Harry drew even with Sirius on the sixth lap.  
  
"You know," Harry shouted to his opponent. "Maybe next time I'll give you twenty seconds, it'll be harder for me that way." And with that Harry shot off past a completely stunned Sirius.  
  
"That was invigorating," Harry said as he landed a few minutes later, to shocked looks from the Marauders. "Sirius should be done in about a minute."  
  
"How....?" asked Remus in bewilderment. Harry smiled at him.  
  
"Years of flying," said Harry trying to conceal his amusement. Sirius landed beside him, clearly out of breath.  
  
"How?" he asked mirroring Remus' question.  
  
"Good flyer, isn't he?" asked Hermione walked over to Harry. Expressions of amazement were on the Marauder's faces and silence fell until James finally spoke.  
  
"You play quidditch?" he asked softly.  
  
"Come again?" asked Harry.  
  
"Do you play quidditch?" James asked, more pronounced this time. Harry smiled.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I was a seeker where I came from." James smiled.  
  
"Well it just so happens that we have a seeker position that needs to be filled," he said. "Tryouts are tomorrow."  
  
"I know," said Harry. "I was planning on trying out anyway."  
  
"Mmm," grunted James. "Well then, see you on the pitch at a quarter to nine in the morning. Report to me, I'm the captain." Harry nodded and James walked off, followed by Sirius, Remus, and Peter.  
  
"I take it your broom is from the future?" Lily asked once the Marauders were gone.  
  
"Of course," said Harry. "Best broom there is."  
  
"I can tell," she replied. "James wasn't joking. Sirius really was the best flyer in school until you showed up."  
  
"I never knew he was on the quidditch team," said Harry. "He never told me."  
  
"He doesn't like to talk about it," said Lily. "Him and James got into a terrible row about it because James was furious that he'd lost his best beater."  
  
"This isn't good," said Hermione all of a sudden. "We're turning into them. Challenging them to races, not caring about Snape..."  
  
"Hermione, don't worry about it," said Harry. "We've never been able to truly relax before. It's high time we had some fun and mischief."  
  
"I suppose you're right," said Hermione. "I just miss the future a little, that's all."  
  
"Why?" asked Harry. "In the future Ron and Luna are dead. In the future there's a train full of students that's been attacked. In the future is an inevitable confrontation with Voldemort that will leave either me or him dead. I, for one, wish I could stay here."  
  
"As much as I love your company, Harry, Hermione's right," said Lily. "You don't belong here. Your place is the future, and it doesn't do to dwell in the past, whether it be physically or mentally." Harry frowned at the thought of leaving his parents behind. It would be like losing them all over again. Even though he had been fairly cold to James and Sirius, being around them always made him smile slightly.  
  
"Maybe you're right," he said hugging Hermione. "Maybe we should start being warmer around them."  
  
"Yeah," she said.   
  
=====  
  
The next day Harry was awoken by someone shaking him frantically. Opening his eyes, he saw the Marauders peering down at him.  
  
"Morning Harry!" said James dressed in his quidditch robes. "It's 8:30, you coming to the tryouts or not?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," groaned Harry getting up.   
  
"Put on some loose fitting clothes, and meet us in the common room," said Sirius. With that, the Marauders walked out of the dorm and left Harry by himself. Grabbing his Firebolt and throwing on some baggy jeans and a t-shirt, he ran out of the dorm without socks, and his shoes untied.   
  
Entering the common room, he saw that not only the Marauders, but Hermione and Lily were waiting for him as well.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" he asked. Hermione looked at him as if he were daft.  
  
"You expect me not to come to your tryout?" she asked in a bossy voice.   
  
"Let's not forget that I have to be there, being that I'm on the team," said Lily grinning. Harry smiled and looked at James.  
  
"I'm ready," he said.   
  
"Well it's about bloody time, we should've been down there by now," said James.  
  
"Then why'd you wait for me?" Harry asked.  
  
"I wanted to make sure you got up in time, which I see was a good thing. Now LET'S GO!" And with that the seven of them made their way out of the common room and down to the quidditch pitch.  
  
The entire team had showed up to watch the practice, and Harry didn't recognize any of the other four players except for the familiar pink-haired girl that he saw the first day of classes.  
  
"Hey James, who's that?" Harry asked pointing to the girl.  
  
"Tonks," James answered. "Dunno what her first name is, I've heard she doesn't tell it to anyone." Harry smiled to himself at the thought of Tonks playing quidditch, but then he remembered that she was a pretty avid flyer.  
  
About twenty people had showed up to try out, but it was easily apparent that none were as good as Harry. Like Wood, James had thrown them all golf balls instead of using the snitch, and no one except for Harry had managed to catch them all. The tryouts ended with James pronouncing him as seeker, and after congratulations from Lily and a bone-crushing hug from Hermione, everyone made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.   
  
"Congratulations," said Remus in earnest. "You really were the best out there."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry.   
  
"He means it," said James coming up behind him and clapping him on the back. "You were marvelous, we're sure to win the cup this year." Harry smiled.  
  
"Well when's the first practice?" Harry asked.   
  
"Tomorrow," said James. "Make sure you get good rest tonight, because I work my players hard."  
  
"He's not lying," said Lily quietly. "One time before a match he had us all out there until midnight in the rain just because were weren't doing very well."  
  
"It worked, didn't it?" asked James. "I seem to remember us crushing Ravenclaw in that particular match, by a score of nearly 300 to 20."  
  
"Yes well..." said Lily trailing off. They reached the common room and Harry slumped into an armchair, Hermione sitting down on top of him. The Marauders occupied the couch, while Lily took the other armchair.  
  
"Good job today Harry," said Sirius. "You're probably the best seeker we'll have had in a good many years."  
  
"Yeah well, my team's captain was very paranoid," Harry said laughing. "Made us work everyday. Didn't think about a thing aside from qudditch."  
  
"I'm a lot like that too," said James. "But dinner's in a few hours, and I want to get washed up and change. I'll see you tomorrow at noon, ok Harry?" He nodded and James set off up to the dorms, followed by the rest of the Marauders.  
  
"I'm with him on this one," said Lily getting up. "I could use a nap before dinner, I hate getting up so early." Harry and Hermione nodded and Lily got up and headed for the Head Girl's room. As soon as they were alone Hermione grabbed Harry and pulled him into a passionate kiss.  
  
"What was that for?" Harry asked smiling.  
  
"It was congratulations for making the team," Hermione said returning his smile.  
  
"I thought you hated me playing quidditch?" asked Harry.  
  
"I do, but it's something you love, so I'll learn to like it," she replied. Harry smiled and looked into her eyes, seeing a lustful fire burning in them.  
  
"You think Lily will have a problem with us using the Head Boy's room again?" asked Harry.  
  
"Not as long as we put silencing charms everywhere," replied Hermione getting up. Harry grinned and grabbed her hand, sprinting to the room adjacent to Lily's with Hermione in his wake.  
  
=====  
  
"Harry? You in there? C'mon we have practice!" shouted Lily through the door to the Head Boy's room. Harry groaned and looked around blinking. He and Hermione hadn't bothered to leave the Head Boy's room the day before, and had managed to fall asleep at around 5 in the afternoon. Sitting up, he noticed the Hermione was wide awake and looking at him.  
  
"Take a picture, it lasts longer," said Harry smiling. Hermione swatted at him and pulled him down for a kiss.  
  
"Why take a picture when I have the object of my dreams right here in front of me?" she asked.   
  
"HARRY! YOU IN THERE?" came the voice of Lily again. Harry groaned and got out of bed. He was just about to open the door when Hermione spoke up.  
  
"You may want to put on something," she said grinning. Harry looked down and realised that he was wearing naught but his birthday suit. Blushing slightly, he grabbed his boxers and pants and put them on before opening the door.  
  
"What's up?" he asked Lily, who was standing outside the door in her quidditch robes.  
  
"What's up?" she mimicked in urgency. "It's 11:45, that's what's up! A fine way to impress everyone, show up late for your first practice!"  
  
"Ahh, bollocks," said Harry remembering that his first practice was today. "Give me a minute?"  
  
"It had better only be a minute," she huffed. Harry smiled and closed the door to find Hermione putting on her clothes.  
  
"You don't have to get up," he said.   
  
"Like I'm going to miss your practice," she retorted. "What else is there for me to do on a Sunday?"  
  
"The library?" asked Harry. Hermione laughed.  
  
"I'd rather be with you," she said. "If you had only fallen in love with me earlier, I would've gone to all your practices in sixth year too."  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry said.   
  
"It's ok."  
  
"Oh hey, I forgot to tell you, you know that pink-haired girl who was in our potions class that first day? The one that's also on the team?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah, what about her?"  
  
"It's Tonks."  
  
"Is it really?" asked Hermione with a smile. "I would never have thought she played quidditch."  
  
"She's much better in the air than she is on the ground," said Harry. "She was with the group that flew me to Grimmauld Place before 5th year, remember?"  
  
"Oh right," said Hermione. "You better get going before Lily breaks in here. I'll meet down at the pitch."  
  
"All right," Harry replied giving her a kiss on the cheek. "See you there."  
  
=====  
  
"You two!" bellowed James as Lily and Harry made their way down to the pitch. "Hurry up! You're late!" Harry and Lily ran the rest of the way to the field and arrived to find James glowering at them.  
  
"I may be hopelessly in love with you Evans, but that doesn't mean I won't punish you for being late. Hand over the broom. You too, Lockheart." Lily sighed and handed her broom to James.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Harry.  
  
"Whenever anyone shows up late to practice, I put weights on their broom so that you have to put more effort into flying. It also helps you move faster once you take them off," James said fitting Lily and Harry's brooms with black collars. Handing the brooms back to their owners, he addressed the team. "Listen up!" he shouted. "You all saw Harry here yesterday, he's our new seeker." There were murmurs from the assembled group. "We're going to run practice in groups today. Dolsher, Muldew, and Lockheart, you go and work on triangle forms. Kielty, Tonks, and Evans, you're with me.   
  
The weights on Harry's broom were making it tough for him to move so quickly with the beaters. He was working on a triangle formation where the beaters covered him while he was in pursuit of the snitch. It was an idea of James' to try it, and it seemed quite ingenious when the beaters had told Harry about it. Harry was just making a swoop that they had planned, when he saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye. Smiling, he took his eyes off the space in front of him to look at her and collided with James.  
  
"Oy!" yelled James struggling to stay on his broom. "Watch where you're going!"   
  
"Sorry," Harry muttered. Practice continued for another few hours, until James called it to a stop.   
  
"Ok, good job gang," he said back in the locker room. "Just remember what we practiced and be back here at six on Tuesday." The group nodded and began to file out of the room, when James called out again. "Lockheart! A moment please?" Harry stopped and walked back over to James, followed by Lily.  
  
"What the bloody hell happened out there?" he asked wide-eyed.  
  
"Sorry about that," said Harry. "It was an accident."  
  
"Listen," James said. "We can't have you crashing into other players during a game. If the sight of your own girlfriend makes you lose control, then you'll have to ask her not to come."  
  
"James leave him alone, it was an accident," said Lily.   
  
"Evans this doesn't involve you, he nearly knocked me off my broom," said James.   
  
"James, you're putting all the blame on me, but let me assure you, that the last I had checked, the space in front of me was clear," said Harry hotly. "Maybe you should watch where you're going and not fly right into my path." This caused James to stand up.  
  
"Do not talk to your captain like that!" he bellowed.  
  
"James Potter, you do not yell at your son!" Lily screeched. The silence that followed this outburst was deafening, only to be interrupted by Hermione entering the locker room.  
  
"Hey I was just wondering where you were, so I came down here.......what's going on?" she asked seeing the shocked look on James' face.  
  
"Well..." James said. "That would explain a lot."  
  
---------------  
  
I know this chapter is fairly short (only 6k words), I had a pretty bad case of writer's block with it. It's getting really hard to write this story, since I'm running out of ideas for while Harry and Hermione are in the past. I don't want to rush it, but I get the feeling that I'll only be able to make Harry and Hermione stay in the past for another 4 or 5 chapters or so, instead of the 8 or 9 I'd been hoping for. Who knows, some new inspiration may come to me yet.  
  
That's all for this week folks, hope you enjoyed it! 


	11. Together in the Past

Although I received many great suggestions on how to destroy this writer's block, there really aren't any that I can use to great effect. The wall that got erected in my mind isn't crumbling quickly, although, this chapter came to me fairly quickly once the idea appeared. Sorry to disappoint those who submitted suggestions. They were all great, just nothing that I'm particularly looking for right now.  
  
As for news, I have finally, after much deliberation, consented to having a beta. Hopefully, this will make my writing better.  
  
As a final note before you get to reading the chapter, you may or may not know that I'm not really a fan of mood music. However, there is a scene in the chapter which I think deserves it. The song is called Interrupted by Fireworks, and it's from the Final Fantasy 7 OST. It's song 16 on disc 3, for those of you who want to download it (or for those select few who may actually have the soundtrack). When you see %%%, press play.  
  
(Oh, and yet again, something is screwed up with the FanFiction indentations, please don't hold me responsible.)  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter 11: Together in the Past  
  
There was silence in the room for a few minutes, until Hermione spoke.  
  
"Ummmm....what explains a lot?" Before anyone had a chance to answer, James walked past the three of them and out of the locker room.  
  
"Harry I'm so sorry!" said Lily wide-eyed.  
  
"Don't be," he replied sitting down on one of the benches. "It was an honest mistake."  
  
"Would someone please tell me what is going on?" asked Hermione impatiently.  
  
"Lily let slip that I'm James' son," Harry said running his hands through his hair. "It was an accident, though, I'm not mad at you Lily."  
  
"I know," she said sitting down next to him. "But I feel like you should've been the one to tell him. Not me."  
  
"Did he say anything before I came in?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Nah, just stood there and stared at me," he replied. "I told him he'd think I was nutters."  
  
"I don't believe that he thinks you're mad, Harry," said Lily. "He just received quite a shock."  
  
"I'd be shocked too," Harry said. Hermione sat down on the other side of him and put her arm around his shoulders.  
  
"What happens now?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I'm guessing he'll either avoid me, or he'll start badgering me with questions."  
  
"I think it's best if we sit him down and come clean with everything," said Lily. "He might be more receptive that way."  
  
"Maybe it's better that he found out this way," Harry said. "I don't know how I'd have been able to sit him down and say, 'Guess what James, I'm your son from the future'."  
  
"Well, if we're going to talk to him we should do it soon. We want to eliminate any confusion he might have quickly, so that rumors can't get started," Hermione said. The other two nodded.  
  
"Let's get going then," said Harry as the three of them stood and trudged their way back up to the castle.  
  
The three of them arrived in the common room and found James sitting in one of the chairs by the fire, surprisingly alone. Harry, Hermione, and Lily all shared a quick glance then made their way over to the couch to sit down.  
  
"Hi James," Harry said.  
  
"Hi," was all the response he got.  
  
"Where's Sirius, Remus, and Peter," asked Hermione.  
  
"Dinner," James replied. "It's the full moon so they're eating early. Of course you'd know all about why that matters, wouldn't you Harry?"  
  
Looking around to make sure they were alone, Harry tentatively replied, "It's because Remus suffers from lycanthropy." James nodded.  
  
"And what animagus forms are each of us?" James asked again. Harry got the distinct impression that he was being tested.  
  
"You're a stag, Sirius is a dog, and Peter's a rat," he replied.  
  
"And what –"  
  
"James, if you want to make sure that I'm really your son, there's an easy way to tell," Harry said.  
  
"Oh, and what might that be?" James asked. In response Harry pulled out his wand.  
  
"Accio trunk!" Immediately a large crash was heard in the distance as Harry's trunk came thundering down the stairs and stopped in front of him. Opening it, he quickly found what he was looking for, and James' eyes grew wide.  
  
"No....Filch took that a year ago...."  
  
"That's correct," Harry said. "I have it because I'm your son from the future." Placing the tip of his wand on the parchment he was holding, he spoke in a very clear voice, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The Marauder's Map proceeded to reveal itself, just as it normally did. James' face was turning pale and his mouth was slightly agape.  
  
"May I?" he asked holding out his hand hesitantly. Harry handed him the map and he opened to the section that held the Gryffindor common room, and the map showed Lily Evans, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter sitting on the couch by the fire. He handed the map back to Harry, his hand shaking slightly, and sank back into his chair.  
  
"I can't believe it..." he whispered. Harry put the map on the floor, leaving it exposed, so that he could see if anyone was coming.  
  
"If you need more convincing," Harry said reaching into his trunk once more. "You might want to look at this." Without hesitation he pulled out the photo album that Hagrid had given him as a present all those long years ago after his battle with Quirrell. Hermione gave a slight gasp as she realised what Harry had handed to James. "You might want to see the pictures in there too, Lily." Lily stood up and walked over behind the chair that James was sitting in so she could get a better view of the photos. He opened the album to the first page (the one with him, Lily, and Harry as a baby all together) and hadn't been looking at it for a second when he let out a gasp and dropped the book to the floor. Without picking it up, he turned and looked at Lily, who had a tear running down her cheek.  
  
"Lily, I...." James started, but couldn't find the words to finish his sentence.  
  
"It's ok," she said with a small smile. "I already knew."  
  
"But...but, you hate me," he said with a look of confusion.  
  
"I don't hate you," Lily said. "I just think that you could do with some growing-up sometimes." James turned and looked at Harry and Hermione.  
  
"My son...." he said. "And here I've treated you like scum since you arrived."  
  
"Nah," said waving it off. "You acted like a Marauder. It was to be expected."  
  
"Hermione, I'm sorry for how I treated you. How I treated both of you."  
  
"It's ok," she said grasping Harry's hand. "Now you know the truth, and that's what counts." James nodded solemnly.  
  
"I've been a bloody idiot," he said. "I'm sorry." Turning once more to Lily, he spoke in a soft voice, "And I've treated you the worst out of everyone." He stood up so that he could face her and grasped her hands. "Even worse than Snape. All this time I've just been harassing you to go out with me, I never stopped to consider your feelings. I didn't ever think for a second that you'd even want to be near me –" James was cut short at that point by Lily pressing her lips against James'.  
  
Hermione put her head on Harry's shoulder as the two of them watched the scene before them unfold. Looking up at Harry, she noticed that he was crying silently. Lily apparently noticed this too, because she broke off the kiss with James.  
  
"Harry?" she asked. He couldn't answer, only shake his head and wipe his tears away. "Come here," Lily said waving Harry over to them. He got up from the couch and walked over to his 17-year old parents, who embraced him in the first family hug he ever had. Noticing that he still had tears running down his face, James pulled away and spoke up.  
  
"Harry's what's wrong?" Harry looked at his father.  
  
"Maybe we should all sit down," he said. James nodded and Harry walked back over to Hermione and sat down next her; she immediately rested her head on Harry's shoulder. James sat on the floor with his back against one of the chairs, Lily sat down in between his legs. Harry was strongly reminded of the first days after he and Hermione finally admitted that they were in love.  
  
"Harry why are you sad?" James asked. "I would've thought this would be a time to celebrate."  
  
"James..." said Lily softly.  
  
"No," said Harry firmly. "He deserves to know." And with that Harry told James everything. How Voldemort killed him and Lily, how he was destined to kill Voldemort, how he and Hermione ended up in 1977. The color drained more and more from James' face as the story wore on, and when at last Harry finished, he looked like one of the resident ghosts.  
  
"My god," he breathed. "Harry, I...I had no idea."  
  
"I know," Harry replied. "But you wanted the truth, so you got it." James nodded and Lily turned around so that she could face him.  
  
"Are you ok?" she asked.  
  
"Of course not!" James exclaimed. "I just found out that you and I are to die in, what, four and something years? I feel like I'm going to throw up!"  
  
"I know," said Lily. "I felt the same way when they told me." She put her hand on James' cheek and rubbed it softly.  
  
"We'll give you two some time to work out your feelings," said Harry standing up, motioning for Hermione to follow. They made their way to the Head Boy's room and collapsed on the bed.  
  
"Are you all right?" Hermione asked as she snuggled up next to Harry.  
  
"Yeah," Harry replied letting out a sigh. "Just witnessing their first kiss, after not being around them my entire life..."  
  
"I know," Hermione said. "Well, I don't know...but I understand." Harry smiled and turned to face her.  
  
"That isn't saying that I'm not grateful for all the time I've been able to spend with you," he said. "Honestly, I don't know what would have become of me if you weren't here." He expected her to make some witty remark in response to this but instead she pressed her lips to his.  
  
"If I weren't here with you," she said pulling away. "I'd be lost, alone, and depressed."  
  
"We have something in common, then," Harry said with a smile wrapping her in his arms. They lay there for a while until Harry looked at his watch.  
  
"We should go downstairs and check on them," he said. "They've been alone for nearly 20 minutes now."  
  
"Afraid you might walk in on your parents engaged in hormonal-driven activities?" Hermione asked jokingly.  
  
"After they're been together for about an hour?" Harry replied. "I doubt it." Hermione smiled and they walked down to the common room to find Lily and James in an emotional kiss in a chair by the fire.  
  
"Glad to see we're all acquainted now," Harry said smiling. James and Lily broke apart, blushes creeping into their cheeks.  
  
"Sorry," Lily said in an embarrassed tone.  
  
"Not at all," said Harry sitting down. "Work everything out?"  
  
"As much as we're going to work out for the time being," said James. Hermione tugged on the sleeve of Harry's robes.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Someone's coming," she said pointing at the still open map on the common room floor. Harry walked over and examined it, letting out a laugh when he saw who was coming.  
  
"It's Sirius and the gang," he said. "James, what say we give them a true father and son welcome?"  
  
"What have you got in mind?" he asked, his face lighting up. Harry walked over to him and whispered something in his ear, which earned a huge grin from James.  
  
"You really are my son," he said getting up, making sure Lily didn't fall down as he stood. Harry quickly went over to his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak before banishing the trunk back to the dorm. Grabbing the map off the floor, he wiped it clean and pulled Hermione and Lily over to the stairs, hiding them under the cloak.  
  
"Harry what's going on?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Shhh..." Harry whispered. "You'll see." A few seconds later Sirius, Remus, and Peter walked through the portrait hole.  
  
"Ah Prongs, there you are," said Sirius walking over to him and clapping him on the back. "We missed you at dinner."  
  
"How was practice?" asked Remus.  
  
"It was fine, but you guys have to hear this," said James hurriedly. "Harry's from the future," James said smiling. The other three laughed at this.  
  
"Please, James, how could he be from the future?" At this, Harry took out his wand and hit himself hard over the head with it, and he slowly began to vanish as the Disillusionment Charm took effect.  
  
"Wait here," he whispered to the girls before stepping out from under the cloak.  
  
"I'm telling you he's from the future," said James. "I got it out of him at practice today." Harry inched his away around behind the three Marauders and removed the Disillusionment Charm.  
  
"You're just saying that to try to get us riled up," said Sirius. Harry whispered, 'Sonorus'. "Why on earth would he come back in time?" James saw Harry standing behind the three of them and smiled.  
  
"BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE THE GREAT MARAUDERS IN ACTION!" Harry's magically amplified voice roared. The Marauders jumped at least a foot in the air each and fell to the ground at the shock that Harry had given them.  
  
"Bloody hell!" yelled Sirius. Harry and James were laughing hysterically, along with the girls who had come out from under the cloak. "You think that's funny, do you?"  
  
"It was hilarious!" said James. "The look on your faces, oh I wish I had a camera!" James and Harry helped pick the Marauders up off the floor and they brushed themselves off before Sirius rounded on Harry.  
  
"Lockheart, you insufferable bastard...." Harry guffawed at this  
  
"My name isn't Lockheart, it's Potter," he said smirking as the jaws of the Marauders dropped. "James was telling the truth." There was a stunned silence as Hermione and Lily made their way over to Harry and James, when Remus spoke.  
  
"Prove it," he said.  
  
"Very well," Harry replied pulling the Marauder's Map from his robes. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The Marauder's eyes grew wide as the map revealed itself. "See for yourself," he said showing them the portion of the map that displayed the Gryffindor common room. Sure enough, right alongside the names of the Marauders, Hermione, and Lily, was 'Harry Potter'.  
  
"Bloody hell," whispered Sirius. "Prongs....he...he's your son?"  
  
"Well you have to admit, the resemblance is uncanny," said Remus. "So I'm curious, if James is your father, Harry, then who's your mother?" Harry smiled and looked at Lily whose face promptly turned the same color as her hair. The jaws of the Marauder's dropped and James walked over to Lily and put her arm around her.  
  
"You must be joking," said Remus with a grin.  
  
"Not at all," said James. "After Harry told me the truth, I finally realised what a prat I was being. Not to mention the fact that Lily felt I might actually have some potential."  
  
"And knowing that you two would wind up together anyway had nothing to do with it?" asked Sirius with a smirk.  
  
"Well, it did affect my decision a little," said a smiling Lily while looking at James. "But I think he'll turn out all right just the same."  
  
"So how'd it happen?" asked Peter excitedly. At this, Harry cleared his throat.  
  
"James, why don't you and Lily tell them what they want to know? I'd prefer not to have to retell this story again in the course of an hour." James nodded and turned back to face the rest of the Marauders, who proceeded to bombard him with questions. Harry faced Hermione and took her hand in his. "C'mon, let's go upstairs." She nodded and the pair of them walked back up to the Head Boy's room.  
  
=====  
  
The next day Lily told Harry and Hermione what she and James had shared with the rest of the Marauders. After swearing Sirius, Remus, and Peter to secrecy, she and James had told them everything with the exception of their deaths. Lily, Hermione, and Harry then agreed not to let any of the Marauders (including James) know of Sirius' death; they were all of the feeling that it might push the group apart. As a result of that night in the common room, the Marauders started being much warmer towards Harry and Hermione.  
  
The classes, while difficult, were no worse than they had been any other year. Quidditch practice had been going very well after that one little mishap, and before they knew it the first two weeks of school had passed as normally as they could have while one was at Hogwarts. James had formally asked Lily out, and she had accepted, much to the delight of Harry, Hermione, and the other Marauders.  
  
As September 19th drew nearer, Harry began to worry what he could do for Hermione's birthday. Giving her a simple present didn't seem enough anymore, it needed to be special. One night while they were all in the common room, Harry pulled all the Marauders together for a private chat regarding this matter while Lily and Hermione were engaged in a conversation.  
  
"What's up?" asked James.  
  
"Listen," Harry said quietly. "Hermione's birthday is in two days, and I want to do something really special for her, but I'm at a loss. Any ideas?"  
  
"Ask her to marry you?" asked Sirius without hesitation. Everyone in the group except for Harry looked at him as if he was mad.  
  
"No," Harry said simply shaking his head. "I've had that conversation with her already and we've both agreed we're not ready for that step yet."  
  
"Why not throw her a party?" asked Remus.  
  
"That idea's not half bad," Harry said. "But where could we have it?"  
  
"You know, sometimes it's obvious you're my son, other times...." James said shaking his head. "Use the Room of Requirement." Harry laughed and shook his head.  
  
"And other times I think as though I have no relation to a Marauder," he said finishing James' first sentence. "Well, I want it to be a good party, any ideas on what we should do?"  
  
"You mean like a theme?" asked Sirius. Harry nodded. "I have no idea. We're men, we don't know how to plan a party. We should get Lily on our side for this. You do want it to be a surprise party, right?"  
  
"If we can manage it," Harry said. "In all the years I've known her, I don't think Ron or I have ever given her anything more than a present for her birthday once. It'd be better to have it as a surprise."  
  
"Well then we definitely need Lily," said James. "We want to help you Harry, but this will be impossible without a woman on our side." The group laughed at this and agreed. They made quiet conversation amongst themselves for the next hour or so, planning what to do for presents and food arrangements, when Hermione spoke up.  
  
"Well, I'm going to go to bed," she said yawning. Harry stood up and walked over to her. "You staying up a while longer?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, we're having a deep conversation about mischief," Harry said grinning. "It's nice to be with my parents after all these years." Hermione smiled.  
  
"Don't stay up too late," she said. "I don't want you falling asleep in class on me." Harry pulled her in for a quick kiss, then she departed up to the girls dorms.  
  
"I think I'll join her," said Lily getting up.  
  
"Actually," said James. "We were hoping you'd stay up a little longer and have a chat with us."  
  
"About what?" she asked skeptically. Harry ushered her over to the group and sat down on the floor, Lily sat in James' lap.  
  
"Hermione's birthday is in two days, and we've agreed to throw a party, but aside from that, we have no idea what we should do." Harry said pointedly. Lily gave him a smile.  
  
"So..." she began. "The Marauders need my help." James laughed at this.  
  
"No, your boyfriend and his son need your help. These other mugs are just tagging along." There were shouts of protest from the group, but they were quickly replaced with chuckles.  
  
"All right, what do you need help with?" Lily asked.  
  
"Well now that we've got the Marauder's Map back we can get food from the kitchens," said Sirius. "But we're not trying to throw some boring old party here. There needs to be life to it. That's why we need you."  
  
"Obviously," said Lily sarcastically. "What's the point of having a party where all anyone does is sit around, eat cake, and open presents?" She gave a small laugh at her own joke and the continued on. "But I understand. You don't want the party to last thirty minutes," she said.  
  
"Exactly," said Harry. "I want it to be special."  
  
"Have you though about where you want to hold it?" she asked.  
  
"The Room of Requirement," said James. "Although given for the length of time we're hoping to use it for, we may need permission from higher up."  
  
"That shouldn't be a problem," she said. "Don't forget, we're Head Boy and Girl, not to mention that teachers love me." James smiled.  
  
"Well that leaves us with what we should do then," he said. "Lily?"  
  
"What?" she asked. "You mean to tell me that out of the collection of brilliant, diabolical minds assembled here, not one of you could think of an idea as to what to do during her party?" The group collectively shook their heads and Lily laughed. "I should've figured as much. Oh well. How about a dance?"  
  
"Nah," said Sirius quickly. "It wouldn't be very interesting would it? I mean, Moony, Wormtail, and I don't have girlfriends, so it'd be pretty boring for us."  
  
"True," said Lily. "Well Harry, what kinds of things does Hermione like?"  
  
"Books," said Harry laughing. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. She and I almost never talk about her life outside of Hogwarts, come to think of it."  
  
"Well can you remember anything that Hermione ever mentioned liking?" Harry thought hard for minute, then something came to him.  
  
"Yeah, I think she mentioned once that her parents took her to see the Empire Day fireworks near her house when she was young," Harry said. "Although are fireworks really enough?" Lily grinned at him.  
  
"Oh believe you and me, we can make it enough. It'll have to be after the main party though."  
  
"No objections here," Harry said. Lily smiled at him.  
  
"Wonderful. Now here's what we're going to do..."  
  
=====  
  
The next night, they all sat in the common room after Hermione had gone to bed and discussed their plans for the following day.  
  
"Dumbledore gave us permission to use the Room of Requirement for as long as we need it," said Lily. "Did you guys get the fireworks?"  
  
"You betcha," said Sirius, extracting a miniaturized box out of his robes and setting it on the ground. Pulling out his wand, he said, "Engorgio." The box swelled to the size of a small closet, and peering inside, they could see that it was packed to the brim with an assortment of fireworks, sparklers, roman candles, and such.  
  
"Where did you get all these?" asked Harry afraid to know the answer.  
  
"We asked the room for fireworks," said Remus. "And this is what it gave us."  
  
"Good," said Lily. "What about the cake?"  
  
"It's all taken care of," said James. "The house-elves were more than happy to help us. It'll be delivered to the room at quarter past seven tomorrow."  
  
"Perfect," said Harry. "Now let's run over the plan one more time."  
  
"At 4 o' clock, all of us, minus you Harry, will go to the Room of Requirement to set everything up," James said. "Sirius, you made sure that the room will become what we need it to be, right?"  
  
"Mmhmm," Sirius replied. "Everything's in order."  
  
"Right," James continued. "So we'll set everything up. Harry, you're going to bring Hermione around at 7:30 right?"  
  
"Yep," said Harry. "I'm going to make her think I've forgotten her birthday, so it will be that much more of a surprise.  
  
"Great," said Lily. "Now one last thing, who's going to light the fireworks?"  
  
"All of us," said James. "Except for Harry, he's going to stay with Hermione. We don't want to interrupt anything that might happen," he said with an evil grin.  
  
"Do we really need that many people?" asked Lily.  
  
"Oh trust me," said Sirius. "With what we've got planned for the finale, we'll need all the help we can get."  
  
=====  
  
Harry woke the next day at noon, to find that the Marauders were already gone. It being a Sunday, they were probably already out on the grounds enjoying the sun before they got ready for Hermione's party. They had agreed that it was best for Hermione to be outside so there could be no chance of her catching them setting up in the Room of Requirement. Harry got out of bed, dressed, and made his way downstairs to the common room to find Hermione on sprawled out on the sofa reading a book.  
  
"Hey there," Harry said crouching down next to her and kissing her on the cheek. "Now why are you inside reading on a gorgeous day like this?" Hermione smiled at him.  
  
"Because I enjoy reading," she said.  
  
"What's wrong with reading outside? The air would be good for you," he replied, trying to get her away from the castle.  
  
"Well if you must know, I wanted to stay and wait for you," she said.  
  
"How come?" Harry asked, knowing full well that Hermione had waited so she could spend her birthday with him.  
  
"Because I love you," she said, after a slight hesitation.  
  
"Well I love you too, but it's almost as beautiful as you outside, so let's get moving," he said scooping her up in his arms. Hermione shrieked but quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Flattery will not get you everywhere, Mr. Potter," she said smiling as Harry stepped out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Maybe not everywhere, but it will certainly get me a lot of places," he said with a grin putting her down.  
  
The afternoon was spent with the Marauders under their favorite tree by the lake. The boys chatted animatedly about quidditch, while Hermione and Lily discussed school. At last 4 o' clock rolled around, and James stood up.  
  
"I could go for a quick trip to Hogsmeade," he said stretching. "Anyone else want in?" This was part of the plan. The Marauders were going to head over to Hogsmeade to avoid drawing suspicion from Hermione, then double back to the Shrieking Shack and use the secret passage to get back onto the other side of the grounds.  
  
"I'm in the mood," said Sirius. "Moony, Wormtail?"  
  
"Sure," Remus replied. Peter merely nodded. "Harry?"  
  
"Nah, I think I'll stay here," Harry said with a wink. They were about to head off when Hermione spoke up.  
  
"Oh, could I come with you? I want to see if the bookstore has a book I need." There was a stunned silence at this. None of them had planned on Hermione wanting to tag along. Recovering first, Harry spoke up.  
  
"Ah, what the hell, I'll go too. I could use a trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies anyway. I need new seeker's gloves."  
  
"I thought you just said you didn't want to go," said Hermione narrowing her eyes.  
  
"I changed my mind," replied Harry putting his arm around her waist. "Besides, with you going it makes it much more appealing." Hermione couldn't help but smile at this.  
  
"What about you, Lily?" she asked.  
  
"I have a meeting with McGonagal," Lily replied. "I was actually just about to head over to it anyway."  
  
"Ok," said Hermione. "See you!" With that the six of them walked off towards Hogsmeade, while Lily went back up to the castle to start setting up.  
  
When they got to Hogsmeade, Harry stopped. Nothing was out of the ordinary, everything was as it should've been. Hermione however, put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Are you ok?" she asked.  
  
"I...I haven't been here since last year," Harry said, his breath hitching.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked James coming over.  
  
"Nothing," said Hermione quickly. "Maybe you could just give us a few minutes?"  
  
"Sure, we're heading over to the Shrieking Shack, we love to look at it from the outside. Most haunted building in Britain...what a load of posh." James strode off to the waiting Marauders laughing. When they were alone, Hermione led Harry to a nearby bench to sit down.  
  
"Harry?" she asked.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said shaking his head. "I just didn't expected all those memories to come rushing back to me like they did." He turned to face her. "My best friend and his girlfriend died right over there, and you were nearly killed too." Hermione pulled him into a hug.  
  
"I know," she said. "I can hardly believe it either. But we need to move on so that we can avenge their deaths."  
  
"We?" asked Harry.  
  
"Harry, I don't give a damn about the prophecy, I'm going to be with you when you fight him, and nothing is going to change that."  
  
"Hermione..." Harry began but she cut him off.  
  
"No, Harry. I love you too much to let you go and face him alone. If you have to die, I'm going to be right alongside you when it happens." Harry choked back a sob and hugged her like he was holding onto her for dear life.  
  
"You have no idea how much that means to me," he said.  
  
"I do," Hermione replied. "And I love you too." Harry smiled at her.  
  
"Well we should get going, we have some shopping to do," he said. Hermione nodded and they went about their business, first stopping in Quality Quidditch Supplies to get Harry's gloves, then into the bookstore where Hermione ended up browsing for about an hour and a half. Finally, Hermione finished looking, and they paid for everything. They headed back up towards the castle, and stopped once again at the tree they had been sitting under earlier.  
  
"What happened to James and company?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Dunno," replied Harry feigning ignorance. "They probably came back to the school if they couldn't find us."  
  
Harry and Hermione sat down in the grass under the tree and gazed out over the pond, watching the giant squid make ripples in the water as it swam just under the surface.  
  
"I miss them," Hermione said all of a sudden. "Not just Ron, but Luna too. I know she wasn't all there but she was as good a friend as she could be after our fifth year."  
  
"I miss them too," Harry said. "If it weren't for Luna, you and I probably wouldn't even be together." Hermione turned and stared at him. "She was the one who convinced me that I was being a blundering idiot and to go and be with you." Hermione smiled at him.  
  
"The last time we all got to sit together and be peaceful was under this same tree," she said. "It's so hard to believe that it was only 5 months ago..." The two of the sat there for a little more than an hour, when Harry realised that it was time to get going.  
  
"Hmm...it's 7:20," he said looking at his watch. "Looks like we missed dinner."  
  
"We can go to the kitchens and get something," said Hermione not getting up.  
  
"What about the house-elves?" he asked.  
  
"I gave up on S.P.E.W. awhile ago," she admitted. "It was just something to help me take my mind off you." Harry smiled.  
  
"Well come on," he said standing up. "Let's go." With that Hermione stood and the two of them made their way into the castle. However, when Harry made to go up the stairs instead down towards the kitchens, Hermione spoke up.  
  
"Harry, the kitchens are the other way," she said.  
  
"I know," Harry replied not breaking stride. "I had an idea."  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
"You'll see." The two of them reached the seventh floor corridor and found the door to the Room of Requirement already there.  
  
"Come on," he said walking to the door. "After you." Hermione eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"Harry, what's in there?" she asked.  
  
"You'll see, just open the door." Reluctantly, Hermione opened the door and stepped in the room. Harry entered behind her and closed the door, engulfing them in darkness.  
  
"Harry what's going-"  
  
"SUPRISE!!!" yelled Lily and the Marauders together as the lights came on. Hermione nearly fell to the floor in shock at the scene before her. Even Harry had to admit – the Marauders seemed to have outdone themselves this time.  
  
They were standing in a beautiful dining room, with streamers and balloons decking every inch of the walls and ceiling, which one of them (Harry guessed it was Lily) had charmed so that it mirrored the outside sky, just like in the Great Hall. A big banner with 'Happy Birthday Hermione!' painted on it in shining gold paint was hanging over a set of double doors on the far wall, and in the center of the room was a circular table on which a beautiful cake sat with the words, 'Happy 17th Birthday!' written on it in edible icing. Two gifts lay wrapped on the floor in front of the table.  
  
"Did you all do this by yourselves?" Hermione asked breathlessly.  
  
"Well, we got the elves to make the cake for us," James said. "But the rest was us."  
  
"Oh it's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed rushing over and giving Lily and each of the Marauders a bone-crushing hug in turn.  
  
"I think you're forgetting someone," Lily said smiling as Hermione finished hugging Remus. She turned and saw that Lily was pointing at Harry, with a huge grin plastered on his face. "This whole thing was his idea, you know." Smiling, Hermione ran over to him and threw herself into his arms.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered before pressing her lips to his. A few seconds later Harry broke away with a smile.  
"Not in front of the kids, dear," he said. Hermione swatted at him and they walked over to the table. Following suit, the Lily and the Marauders also walked over and sat down in the chairs the room provided.  
  
"The great thing about this place," began James. "Is that we never have to do any work." Instantly 18 candles ("Seventeen and one for good luck," commented Sirius) appeared on the cake and lit themselves. "Go on then, make a wish," James said as the lights dimmed. Hermione thought for a minute then took a deep breath and blew all the candles out. The room burst into applause as the lights came back on, and instantly the cake had carved itself into a slice for everybody and the separate portions flew onto newly conjured plates.  
  
"Mmmm chocolate," said Hermione as she took a bite. "My favorite."  
  
"We know," said Harry grinning.  
  
"Harry, why did you have the elves make a cake when you could've just as easily had the room conjure one for you?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Because the room could never make a cake as well as the house-elves could," interjected James. "No offense to the room, of course." As James finished saying this, Harry could've sworn that he felt a slight breeze come from some unknown part of the room. "They don't lie when they say that this place has its own mind."  
  
"Apparently not," said Lily. The seven of them made small talk as they ate the cake, and after about half an hour Hermione pushed her plate away.  
  
"Well I've had enough," she said. "I bet I'll have gained five pounds from eating so much sugar in one sitting."  
  
"I doubt it," Harry said draping his arm around her. "Presents time then!" Hermione reached for one of the two presents at her feet an started to rip at the paper.  
  
"That one's from me," said Lily. Hermione gave a squeal of delight as she saw a copy of 'Advanced Charms: Beyond the N.E.W.T.'s' in her hands.  
  
"Oh thank you!" said Hermione. "I've wanted this for ages but it's quite pricey in 1997."  
  
"It was nothing, I promise you," Lily said.  
  
"Go on then, open ours!" said James excitedly. Hermione took the other present (which was fairly small) and tore away the wrapping paper to find a strangely shaped silver box inside.  
  
"What is it?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Watch," said Sirius holding his wand to it. "Amorium Denovate." Instantly a projection of the Earth emanated from the box, creating a slight aura around it. "It's a map of the world," he said. "You can zoom in on specific regions by pressing those buttons there. I found it in my house, but we quickly decided that we had no real use for it, and agreed to give it to you as a group present."  
  
"Oh my," said Hermione zooming in on Spain. "It's amazing! Thank you!" She gave each of the Marauders a hug in return before Harry cleared his throat.  
  
"I think it's time for the festivities. Guys, if you would be so kind?"  
  
"And girls," said Lily. They all laughed at this and Lily and the Marauders vanished with a small pop.  
  
"Where'd they go?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Come with me, and you'll see," said Harry standing up and offering his hand to her. She set the silver projector on the table stood up and let herself be led by Harry out through the double doors. They found themselves on a balcony overlooking a seemingly endless ocean, the only imperfection; in the water was a small island that looked to be about a mile away.  
  
"Harry," Hermione breathed. "I didn't know the room could do something of this magnitude."  
  
"Neither did I," he admitted. "But James said that the room will become whatever we need it to be, and so here we are." Harry closed the double doors and now they were standing out on the balcony under the stars, the only source of light coming from the pale moon.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked. "What's going on?"  
  
"You'll see,"he said. "Any second now." The words were just out of his mouth when a burst of green light went off in the distance, reflecting off of the smooth water. A few seconds later another firework went off, and after that a few went every few seconds, all different colors. Some even had the ability to change colors after exploding.  
  
%%%  
  
"Harry, it's amazing," Hermione whispered as more fireworks went off in the distance.  
  
"You told me once that you liked the show your parents took you to when you were younger," he said. "I thought you might like this."  
  
"Fireworks for my own birthday," she said. "What more could I ask for?"  
  
"How about this?" Harry said taking out a small maroon-colored velvet box from his robes.  
  
"Harry, you didn't have to get me anything!" she exclaimed. "You've done more than enough already."  
  
"I didn't buy this, I found it in my vault before sixth year. I think it was my mother's," Harry said handing it to her. Hermione opened the box and gave a slight gasp. Inside was a silver heart-shaped pendant on a matching chain.  
  
"It's beautiful," Hermione said with a tear running down her cheek. "But I can't take this, it was Lily's."  
  
"Exactly why it should be yours," he said. "Remus told me that James gave it to her as a symbol of their love, and I plan to do the same." He took the pendant from the box and put it around her neck before leaning down and giving her a soft kiss. Turning back to watch the show, Harry stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"Do you know what I wished for?" she asked softly.  
  
"I have no clue," he said with a smile. She turned to face him.  
  
"I wished that you would win against Voldemort, and that you and I could be married, have a family, and live happily ever after." This time, it was Harry's turn to shed a silent tear, as it rolled down his cheek.  
  
"I love you so much," Harry said looking at her. The fireworks were reflecting off of her eyes, giving him the impression that they were sparkling. It made her look only more beautiful. "Someday, I promise you, that wish will come true." Hermione could only smile as he leaned down and kissed her again.  
  
"Do you know how lost I was without you?" she asked. "Ever since fifth year...I had to sit next to you in class while I was madly in love with you, thinking that you would never feel the same way about me. It's the worst feeling in the world."  
  
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," Harry said still holding her.  
  
"I would wait forever for you," Hermione said. The two of them stood there for several minutes admiring the spectacular show that Lily and the Marauders were putting on. Finally Harry spoke up.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"I understand now what people meant when they said my parents were excellent people," he said. "A month ago they were as far apart as could be, and now they've come together simply because I turned up one day and told them that I was their son. They've done so much for me, and they don't even know me."  
  
"It's nice to have a family, even if it's only for a little while, isn't it?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Someday I hope to have a more permanent family," Harry said smiling. "I'll tell you though, I don't know how I'm going to be able to go back to a world where Lily, James, and Sirius are dead. It's going to be so hard leaving them all behind."  
  
"At least we'll be together," Hermione said.  
  
"And that's the only thing I want," replied Harry. There was an increase in the light from the fireworks and the two of them looked out over the water to see hundreds of flashes and bursts of light in the sky.  
  
"Wow," said Harry. "Sirius wasn't kidding when he said they would need all the help they could get for the finale."  
  
"And here I was thinking you'd forgotten my birthday," she said.  
  
"I would never forget anything about you, Hermione," Harry said. "I only hope it's enough."  
  
"Harry, this is more than I could've ever dreamed of," Hermione said.  
  
"I'm glad," he said as a tremendous succession of green fireworks went off, spelling 'Happy Birthday!' in the air before fading into nothingness. "Happy birthday Hermione, I hope you liked it."  
  
"Harry," she replied looking right into his eyes as the last explosions in the distance faded away. "This has been the best night of my life."  
  
---------------  
  
I know that there were some kinda cheesy parts in this chapter, but hey, I'm a hopeless romantic. Sorry if I put any of you off, but there's gonna be a TON of cheesy scenes in Part III, if any of you read that far ;) .  
  
Well there it is folks. I had a much easier time writing this chapter. I got the idea for the birthday party and it just wouldn't go away. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next week, then! 


	12. Developments

::drunken slur:: Ya know somethin? I love you guys, I really do. All theeze great reviews, I gots to love the love that I'm gettin from yous guyz. Thanksh sho much. A ROUND OF BEERZ FOR ALL MY MATES!  
  
Ok, no more drunkenness, let's get down to business. What I said above, I mean it. All the people that have been reviewing, I really appreciate the wonderful feedback you leave me. Without it, I have no doubt that I would've abandoned this story a long time ago. I need to reply to one feedback that was sent to me though, as I can't contact the person otherwise.  
  
Supernova – Sorry, I can't do that. What I'm planning is that Harry and Hermione will return to their own time JUST before the Christmas break. There will no time for Harry to meet his grandparents/Petunia, it's just too much hassle to create new characters all the time. As for the Part III comment, I was referring to the eventually conclusion of the trilogy (I like to plan ahead lol). Right now, I simply don't have the time to start up and IMDB account and post there. It may come as a surprise to you, but I know IMDB very well. Someday I can explain the whole story behind it, if you want to hear it, but I'll leave it at one day back in April of '04, I was surfing for the GoF movie, and found the IMDB site for it, including the thread with YOUR fanfiction. I read your story (which was at the time Chapter 9 of A New Beginning), and proceeded to the site via the link in your profile. Needless to say, the rest is history. YOU HEAR THAT OUT THERE?! Supernova8610 is solely responsible for my entrance into the realm of Harry Potter Fiction. Now, that's all settled, I should probably get on to the next chapter, I daresay you're all already yelling at me to GET ON WITH IT!  
  
Oh and one other thing, Harry and Hermione are going to be in the past for AT LEAST 4 more chapters. That's the bare minimum. SO PLEASE, stop with all the 'I hope they get back to the future soon'. It will happen, but you'll have to wait, there needs to be time for things important to the plot to happen while they're in the past.  
  
(And FanFiction STILL refuses to let me indent. Oh well, sorry guys, just bear with me.)  
  
---------------  
  
Chapter 12: Developments  
  
The next day Harry awoke to the sun shining through the closed curtains of the king-sized four-poster in the Head Boy room. Hermione had blatantly refused to let Harry go to sleep on his own, and insisted that they spend the night together. Turning over, he saw her lying in bed, eyes wide open, staring at him.  
  
"Morning," she said in a very dreamy voice.  
  
"Morning to you too," Harry replied with a smile. "To what do I owe the occasion of that beautiful gaze of yours?" Hermione blushed.  
  
"Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you," she said with a smile. Harry scoffed.  
  
"Please, I think that if anyone's lucky around here, it's me."  
  
"Maybe we should just say that we're both maddeningly lucky to have each other, and leave it at that," she said grinning.  
  
"I can accept that," Harry replied embracing her. The two of them laid there in each other's arms until there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Hey you two! Get up we've got classes!" shouted the voice of James through the door. Remembering that it was a Monday, Harry sighed, and to his surprise, his sigh was echoed by Hermione.  
  
"What's this?" he asked playfully. "Hermione Granger sighing at the thought of classes?" She took her pillow out from under her head and hit him with it.  
  
"No," she replied. "Hermione Granger sighing at the thought of not being able to spend all day in bed with Harry Potter."  
  
"I'm sure lots of witches feel that way, if it makes you any better," Harry said with a coy smile. Hermione just grinned at him.  
  
"They can bloody well pleasure themselves thinking about you if it makes them feel any better," she said. "As long as I'm the only one who ever gets to be in your bed."  
  
"Don't worry," Harry said. "You will be."  
  
"Guuuuuuys," whined James. "Come on! McGonagal will have our heads if we're late!" Laughing, Harry and Hermione got out of the four-poster and put on their clothes for the day. Joining James, Lily, and the rest of the Marauders for their Transfiguration lesson, they headed towards McGonagal's classroom, having already missed breakfast.  
  
=====  
  
A few weeks passed and nothing out of the ordinary happened (with the exception of the visit that Dumbledore gave Harry and Hermione one night telling them about how the Order was getting closer to locating Nicolas Flamel). One night, they were all gathered around the fire in the common room, when James spoke up.  
  
"Harry," he began. "Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I have been doing some talking and we want to ask you a question."  
  
"Shoot," Harry said from his sprawled out position on the couch, Hermione snuggled up next to him.  
  
"We've been thinking, you being my son and all, how would you like to become a Marauder?" Harry nearly fell off the couch at being asked this.  
  
"Hey!" said Hermione indignantly as she was forced to put a hand on the floor to keep herself from being knocked off the sofa by Harry's sudden movement.  
  
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Me?" he asked returning his attention back to James. "A Marauder?"  
  
"Well naturally you'd have to undergo a uhh....what's the word I'm looking for here?" he asked.  
  
"Initiation?" suggested Lily from her seat in James' lap.  
  
"Yeah, that's it," he said snapping his fingers.  
  
"Like what?" asked Harry skeptically.  
  
"Well we understand that you might not have a lot of time left here," said Sirius. "But we were really hoping that you could become an animagus, you know, so we could formally induct you and all." Hermione gave a very un-ladylike snort at this.  
  
"Please," she said. "It takes years to master an animagus transformation. I certainly hope we're not going to be stuck back here for THAT long."  
  
"It shouldn't take you years," said Remus. "We started in our second year, and finished in our fifth. Being in your seventh year, you could probably work it out in three or so months."  
  
"Yeah," said Harry thoughtfully. "It doesn't sound like a bad idea."  
  
"Harry, I don't know," said Hermione. "Learning to become an animagus takes a lot of skill, patience, and commitment, not to mention that the results can be deadly if you make a mistake."  
  
"Well it's like I say," said Sirius. "Everything that has any fun in life, contains some form of danger, in one way or another."  
  
"You really think I could manage it before the Christmas break?" asked Harry, his curiosity now piqued.  
  
"Without a doubt," said Remus. "Besides, you seem to have a bit more skill than most of the other people here, some teachers included."  
  
"Still though," interjected Hermione. "What if we have to go back before we finish?"  
  
"We?" asked Harry.  
  
"Of course 'we', silly," Hermione replied. "If you're becoming an animagus, there's no way I'm letting you have all the fun by yourself." Hermione and Harry looked at each other, then looked at Lily.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"What do you think about all of this?" Hermione asked. Lily shrugged.  
  
"I think it's a good idea actually," she replied. "What with the prophecy and all, it might help."  
  
"It's settled then," said James. "We'll start tomorrow at seven in the Room of Requirement." No noises of protest were made, and having settled that particular issue, the group began to talk about their own personal matters at hand amongst themselves.  
  
At last, everyone grew tired and Harry made to go up to the dorm, but was stopped by Hermione.  
  
"Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," replied Harry, re-routing himself towards the Head Boy room. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," said Hermione. "I just want to be with you." They opened the door to the room and lay down on the bed after locking the entrance.  
  
"Any particular reason?" asked Harry with a sly grin.  
  
"Can't a girl be with the man she loves?" asked Hermione while straddling him. Harry grinned.  
  
"Any time you want," he said as she leaned in to capture his lips.  
  
About forty-five minutes later, the two of them lay there in the other's arms, sweaty, and extremely sated. They stayed in that position looking at each other for a little while until Harry heard Hermione say something. "Sorry?" he asked. "I didn't catch that." She looked at him in a confused fashion.  
  
"I haven't said anything Harry," she replied.  
  
"Huh?" he asked looking at her. "Nonsense, I distinctly heard you say something."  
  
"Honestly Harry, why would I lie about something like that?" Hermione retorted. Realising that he must have simply been hearing things, Harry shrugged and kissed her softly on the forehead.  
  
"Sorry, must've been the wind or something then.."  
  
"It's ok," she replied staring longingly at him. Harry gathered Hermione into his arms and the two of them resumed their enjoyment of simply being with each other. Harry let his mind wander, and a few minutes later he again heard Hermione say something.  
  
"Hmm?" he asked. Hermione's brow furrowed.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"What, what?" Harry replied. "Didn't you say something?"  
  
"Honestly Harry," Hermione said in a disapproving tone. "Stop playing around." Harry thought this was getting exceedingly strange. Twice now, he had heard Hermione talk to him, yet she claimed not to have said anything. Suddenly, an idea struck him.  
  
"Hermione, concentrate really hard on something," he asked her.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Do you trust me?" Harry replied. Hermione bit her lower lip in confusion but nodded all the same. "Then just think of something. Please."  
  
"Okay..." she said heavily. Harry stared right at her and suddenly found that he could hear Hermione talking to him, only her lips weren't moving.  
  
'Whatever's going on, I hope he figures it out soon,' she said. Harry's eyes widened in realisation.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, now speaking to him through her mouth.  
  
"I...wow," he said with a chuckle. "We should go and see Dumbledore. Now, preferably."  
  
"Harry what's going on?" Hermione asked as he got out of the bed and began to dress.  
  
"Not now," he replied. "Trust me on this one, I think it will make much more sense if he can explain this to us."  
  
"Explain what?" Hermione asked getting frustrated. "Honestly, Harry, are you feeling-" but she was cut off when Harry planted his lips on hers.  
  
"Everything's fine," he reassured her. "This just merits investigation."  
  
"What around here doesn't?" she muttered while getting up. After getting dressed, the two of them made their way to the headmaster's office, and when they reached the landing, Harry knocked and entered.  
  
They found the headmaster sitting at his desk reading over some papers, and he looked up and smiled when he saw who it was.  
  
"Ah, Harry, Hermione, I daresay something extraordinary has happened?" Dumbledore asked upon seeing the look of joy on Harry's face, and the look of confusion on Hermione's.  
  
"Well sir," Harry said. "I was with Hermione just now, and...and I think I read her mind." Hermione stared at him as if he had gone bonkers.  
  
"Really?" asked the headmaster standing up. "Without the use of Legilimancy?"  
  
"I think so," replied Harry. "I didn't use any spells or anything, if that's what you mean." Dumbledore nodded and beckoned for Harry and Hermione to move closer.  
  
"How could you read my mind?" Hermione asked Harry.  
  
"There are several ways," answered Dumbledore interrupted. "But I think it would be better to perform a practical test before we jump to conclusions."  
  
"What kind of test?" she asked skeptically.  
  
"Nothing dangerous I assure you," responded the headmaster. "I want you to think of something very specific. Then we'll have Harry try to tell us what exactly it is you're thinking of."  
  
"Ok," said Hermione doubtfully. "Now?"  
  
"Whenever you're ready," said Harry. Hermione nodded and thought hard of the one thing she hated Harry doing the most. Harry looked at her for a minute, then let out a laugh.  
  
"Honestly, Hermione, I thought you said you would try to enjoy quidditch for my sake," he said with a grin. Hermione's eyes widened as that was exactly what she had been thinking of.  
  
"I take it, that Harry's assumption was accurate, then?" asked Dumbledore with his trademark twinkle. Gulping Hermione nodded. "How very interesting."  
  
"Professor?" asked Harry. "Does this mean that I can read minds?"  
  
"No," said the headmaster after careful consideration. "It's possible, but I doubt that is the actual reason."  
  
"Then what?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well..." said the headmaster with a slight tinge of red on his cheeks. "Have you heard of the Phasma Mentis Theory, Miss Granger?" At this, Hermione's cheeks grew pink and she quickly looked away from Dumbledore.  
  
"What?" asked Harry. "What is it?"  
  
"Well it justifies itself from part of the Greater Soul Theory," said Dumbledore, "Which says that all living things on this planet can be fully complemented by something else."  
  
"The souls of all living things fit together like puzzle pieces," explained Hermione seeing the look of confusion on Harry's face. "How well they fit depends on the people that are trying to make them connect."  
  
"The point is that Phasma Mentis bases itself on the theory that when two forms of life who statistically fit perfectly..." the headmaster paused here to think of a suitable phrase. "...prove their love to one an another -" Harry's cheeks grew exceedingly red at this. "- a rarity might occur in which the actual thoughts of each person are conveyed to the other."  
  
"So what you're saying is that when Hermione and I..." Harry made movement with his hands to try to get the point across. "Our thoughts actually merge?"  
  
"That's the general gist of it," said the headmaster with a brilliant twinkle. "Of course I've never seen it happen in real life, I've only read of such things-"  
  
"But wait, this wasn't the first time it's happened," Harry interrupted. "It happened in the Great Hall on the first day of classes too, and I'm pretty sure we had been separated in that way for several hours."  
  
"You don't need to be in the middle of, or have just finished your business in order for it to happen," said Hermione. "It's just stronger at those times. After you've done it once, it's like part of each person is etched into the other, thus establishing and maintaining the connection."  
  
"Quite right, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore. "Well, this is certainly a surprise for me, I can only imagine what must be running through your heads. Is there any thing you would like to ask?"  
  
"Professor," Hermione said. "Why is it that only Harry could hear my thoughts. Why couldn't I hear his?"  
  
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure," replied Dumbledore. "From what I've read, couples usually have to develop this skill before they can even progress to the point of being able to hear each other's thoughts, let alone communicate silently. The surprise comes from that Harry can hear you, not that you can't hear him." Harry scoffed at this.  
  
"I've got a thought as to why," he said grimly. "Maybe all those times that I've listened in to Voldemort got my senses tuned, or something."  
  
"You can listen in on Tom's conversations?" asked Dumbledore with intrigue.  
  
"Not intentionally," replied Harry. "Usually it's only when I'm sleeping, but it's happened once or twice while I've been awake."  
  
"How is this possible?" asked the headmaster curiously. Harry pulled back his bangs to reveal the infamous scar in response.  
  
"My second year, you told me that he transferred some of his powers to me when he gave me this scar," he said. At this, Dumbledore held up his hand.  
  
"Do not disclose any more information than that," he said. "Don't forget, I cannot know too much about the future, lest we have a paradox on our hands."  
  
"What's a parabox?" asked Harry.  
  
"Paradox," said Hermione correcting him. "It's when the past and the future argue with each other and bad things happen, to put it bluntly."  
  
"Ah," he replied.  
  
"Well this has been a most curious evening," said the headmaster. "And I feel that you are quite correct, Harry. It wouldn't even surprise me if something similar to that which has happened between you and Hermione, has happened between you and Lord Voldemort, only on the opposite end of the spectrum."  
  
"You mean hate instead of love?" she asked. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Indeed, and because Harry's been experiencing it for...how long Harry?"  
  
"Seven years," he replied. "I could start to feel his emotions through my scar in first year."  
  
"Seven years," the headmaster continued. "I daresay Harry's abilities to process the information of another person's mind are much more developed than your own, Miss Granger. But don't worry, with practice you shall eventually be able to communicate freely with each other without the need for speaking."  
  
"How do we practice something like this?  
  
"Read a book called Spirit Theory," replied Dumbledore. "Having no experience in it myself, I can't really help you. This book should be able to assist you in more ways than one, however."  
  
"More ways than one?" asked Harry. Instead of replying, the headmaster simply winked through his twinkling at Harry. He and Hermione looked at each other in confusion before Dumbledore spoke.  
  
"Well, it's getting late, perhaps you should head back to your dorms," he said. "I advise keeping quiet though, Peeves will have a fit of joy if he finds two students like yourselves wandering about this late at night." Harry and Hermione grinned and bade goodbye, walking out of the office down into the hallway below.  
  
"Well that was certainly enlightening," said Harry. "Hey, where are you going?" Hermione was walking in a direction that led to the library, not the tower.  
  
"I'm getting that book right away," she said. "I don't like you being able to read my thoughts, and having me be completely at your mercy."  
  
"What if we get caught?"  
  
"As long as you stop asking me questions and keep quiet we should be fine," she replied with a grin.  
  
"Ron and I have really had a bad influence on you," Harry whispered as they got to the library and sneaked in. Hermione quickly found what they needed and they set back off towards the tower, but stopped on the fourth floor at the sound of voices, moving closer to them.  
  
"Against the wall," Harry whispered urgently. "Now." The two of them pressed into the wall next to two suits of armor just as three students came around the corner, one of which Harry knew.  
  
"Peter..." he growled in a whisper.  
  
"I d-don't know, I-I-I really don't think I should..." Peter was saying. The other two stopped dead in their tracks, halting Peter as well.  
  
"You don't think you should?" one of them let out in a low hiss. "And why is that, may I ask?"  
  
"Well, it's not being very loyal to James, and Sirius, and Remus -"  
  
"Who cares about them?" said the second person interrupting him. "All you ever do is lurk in their shadow, and they don't give a damn about you."  
  
"N-No, they're my friends," said Peter stuttering.  
  
"Friends don't let their friends wallow in their wakes unnoticed. Join us, and we'll give you what you want."  
  
"No." replied Pettigrew who was shaking by now. The two students pushed him into the wall and held him there as he whimpered.  
  
"You will join the Dark Lord, Pettigrew," said the first one again.  
  
"Never," spat Peter, who was still shaking. "Just wait until James and Sirius hear about this, they'll curse you into next year -" He was interrupted by the loud thud of one of the student's fists connecting with his left cheek.  
  
"You tell them," the second one said. "And I promise you, Bertha will die a most unpleasant death." Peter's eyes grew wide at this.  
  
"Y-You wouldn't," he said through gritted teeth as a tear made its way down his cheek. The two students pinning him to the wall laughed.  
  
"You know we would, and we will if you tell anyone about this," the first one said again. "We'll let you go now. Go back to your tower, and think about your priorities." With that, the two unknown students stalked off in the direction of the Slytherin common room, leaving Peter leaning against the wall, still shaking. He stood there for a few minutes, then without a word made his way back up towards Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Harry and Hermione emerged from their hiding spots after they heard Peter's footsteps fade away.  
  
"My god..." whispered Hermione. "Harry, what do we do?"  
  
"We find out who Bertha is," he replied simply. "Obviously we can't go trying to change the future, so the best we can do for right now is to find out who it is that Pettigrew cares so much for." Hermione nodded and walked back to Gryffindor Tower. Upon entering the common room, they found it deserted, and walked back to the Head Boy's room.  
  
"He probably went back up to the dorm," said Harry laying down on the bed after getting undressed. "Bertha. The name seems vaguely familiar..."  
  
"I don't know of any Berthas off the top of my head," Hermione said lying down next to him.  
  
"I've definitely heard the name before; maybe Remus mentioned the name to me once."  
  
"Well we'll worry about all of this later. We have our own issues to deal with right now," Hermione said with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, about all of that," started Harry. "Because this is happening, does that mean -" he was cut off by Hermione smiling and nodding her head.  
  
"It means that we're meant for each other," she said snuggling close to him. "That we always were."  
  
"Well I didn't need any bloody telepathy to tell me that," Harry replied with a smug grin. Hermione smiled.  
  
"It's nice to have it confirmed in such an absolute way though," she said running a hand though his hair.  
  
"Now all we need to do is get married," Harry said half-joking. Hermione looked at him and he got the distinct impression that this sounded like a good idea to her all of a sudden. "I was kinda kidding, you know."  
  
"I know," Hermione replied. "But it's nice to hear it." With that the two of them drifted off into a peaceful slumber.  
  
=====  
  
The next evening Harry and Hermione met Lily and the Marauders in the Room of Requirement for their first lesson on becoming animagi. Much to Hermione's delight, the room was in the form of a study, books on advanced transfiguration lining the walls, and several large oak desks spaced evenly throughout the room.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint," James said. "But unfortunately most of the work we'll be doing is reading and such."  
  
"Not at all," said Hermione who was already browsing the titles of the books on the walls.  
  
"Indeed," said Remus. "We've got all the books you need right here, Hermione," he added seeing her start to pull some out of the shelves.  
  
"Oh these are just for my own perusal," she said putting them on one of the large oak desks.  
  
"Don't you have more important things to read up on?" Harry whispered into her ear.  
  
"Please," she said. "That book isn't even that big, I'll read through it in two days." Shrugging, Harry turned to Lily who was off in a corner reading a book on charms.  
  
"Aren't you going to join us?" he asked pointedly. Lily looked up at him.  
  
"No," she said simply. "There's really no need for me to learn, now is there?" she asked. Sirius looked up at this.  
  
"Why not? Being an animagus can always be of use," he argued. Lily just shook her head.  
  
"I'm not wouldn't need any self-transfiguration help, even if I did want to do it," she said simply.  
  
"Isn't that the truth," James muttered with a smile. "Well come on, you two have got some reading to do!" With that he thrust a book entitled 'The Art of Animagi' into Harry and Hermione's hands. "It's not that large; read the first two chapters, and get back to me." With that he walked off to the other side of the room where the Marauders had started playing a game of what looked to be muggle dodgeball, the only difference being that they were using the room to throw the balls and move out of the way.  
  
James had been right; it only took Hermione ten minutes to read the first two chapters, and Harry only five more than she. When they were done they called out to James and the four of them walked back over to Harry and Hermione, sweaty and exhausted.  
  
"How tired can you be?" asked Lily from her seat. "Honestly, you were using your minds to move, it's not like you were ACTUALLY running all over the place."  
  
"It's mentally exhausting," said Sirius.  
  
"Well you make a valid point," said Lily with a smirk. "I imagine that even thinking must use up a majority of your brain power."  
  
"Ha ha," said James sitting down next to Harry. "So, you understand what it is you're trying to accomplish?"  
  
"I think so," said Harry. "Though I'm not entirely sure what the book means by letting go of your mind."  
  
"It's simple really," said Remus. "You have to make your mind believe that your physical properties don't exist, that you are, in fact, something else. After the first time, it's easy because you know what you're going to turn into."  
  
"Yeah, about that," said Hermione. "We have absolutely no choice as to what we're going to become?"  
  
"None," said James. "Look at Peter, you think he'd have wanted to be a rat?" Peter looked at the floor and shuffled his feet at this. "No offense of course."  
  
"None taken," he replied in a low voice.  
  
"All right," Harry said. "So what do we do?"  
  
"The best way to start is to imagine that a part of your body doesn't exist, " Sirius said. "I know it's easier said than done, but it's doable. Try your hands." Harry closed his eyes and screwed up his face in concentration, but nothing happened.  
  
"Anything?" he asked opening his eyes. James shook his head.  
  
"You're not going to get it on the first try, Harry. It takes a lot of practice, and - bloody hell!" James' expression turned into shock as he saw Hermione standing there, eyes closed, her arms seemingly transparent.  
  
"What the? How did you do that?" Sirius asked. Hermione opened her eyes and her arms returned to their normal opaque color.  
  
"Well, that's really not as hard as it seems," she said with a bright smile. All of the men in the room were staring at her intently. "Honestly, it isn't. After all, if this is one of the parts of becoming an animagus, it has to be possible, doesn't it?" There was silence in the room for a few seconds until Lily let out a small chuckle.  
"Pay up James," was all she said from behind her book. James turned with his mouth open, and fishing in his robes, pulled out a galleon and tossed it to her, which she caught easily. "Told you she'd do it."  
  
"But that–that's unreal," he said turning back to Hermione. "I mean, no one ever gets that far on their first try."  
  
"Well, I did, so I guess we'll just have to move on then, won't we?" she asked. "What's next?"  
  
"Well I suppose you could try to make your entire body take that form..." said Remus softly. Hermione shrugged and closed her eyes again. A few seconds later, her body started to become a paler color, and slowly shifted to spectral.  
  
"That's bloody amazing," said Sirius in a whisper. "Now think about animals, just run through a list of them in your mind, and when you touch the one you're supposed to be, you'll turn into a -" but Sirius never finished his sentence because Hermione had just disappeared and been replaced by a small, brown, long-haired cat.  
  
"You have got to be joking," said James, eyes wide. The cat looked curiously up at the five of them, then down at itself. Harry squatted down so he could see the cat eye to eye.  
  
"Hermione?" he asked incredulously. The cat purred and pawed at his cheek before jumping into his arms. "Whoa," he said standing back up cradling her. "You're not very light as a cat."  
  
"Would you prefer me this way?" she then asked after changing back into her human self. Harry let out a groan as he nearly toppled over from the sudden increase in weight. Setting Hermione down, he looked at her with an expression of awe.  
  
"And here I was, reading all this hype about how it takes years to become an animagus," Hermione said brushing herself off.  
  
"One night," Remus was muttering. "It took you ONE night to master an animagus transformation."  
  
"Well, I had done a little reading on the subject," Hermione admitted.  
  
"Still though," James said. "I think it's a shame we're not doing this the legal way; you'd probably get on the front page of the Daily Prophet for setting a record." Hermione blushed and looked at Harry.  
  
"Well?" she asked. "Do you plan on trying anytime soon?"  
  
"I did try," Harry said. "But I couldn't do it."  
  
"Nonsense," Hermione said. "Of course you can do it, you just need to know that you can."  
  
"Like back in third year with the patronus?" asked Harry.  
  
"If that's what you want to compare it to, sure," she said.  
  
"Can someone tell me what you two are talking about?" James asked tapping his foot. Harry smiled and turned to him, but instead of giving an answer, simply pulled out his wand.  
  
"Expecto Patronum," he said, and the great white stag leapt forth and looked around for a sign of a dementor, before giving a paw at the ground and disappearing.  
  
"Dear god," said Sirius in awe. "James, that was you!"  
  
"My patronus is a stag," said Harry putting his wand away. "You, in fact," he added, talking to James. "Back in my third year there was a case involving some dementors and a time-turner. Best if I don't go into all the details, as it's a rather long story. I expect that year could probably have filled up a 400 page book, if someone were to write about it," he added with a grin. James let out a chuckle.  
  
"Well, I don't expect that you'll get it right away, Harry, but just keep practicing every night, and you should be fine," James said with a grin. "Masters an animagus transformation in one night...and I thought I had seen it all...." he muttered.  
  
=====  
  
The night after the first session in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had transformed into a cat and sneaked into the boys dorm to sleep with Harry. Needless to say, he was a little surprised when a big ball of fur pounced on his chest while he was sleeping, but he appreciated it all the same.  
  
A few weeks had passed since then. After that first night, Harry and Hermione had agreed that while they were developing their speechless communication, it would be better for them to be together as much as possible. They had told the Marauders of this, with flaming cheeks, but instead of ridicule, they received 'wows' from the group and were encouraged to take this ability further. James had said that it would be a great asset for a Marauder to be able to talk to someone without the need to speak; he had already been caught numerous times passing notes to Lily in Transfiguration.  
  
Finally, one night, only Harry, Hermione, James, and Lily were left in the common room, as the other three Marauders had gone down to the Room of Requirement to see if it was possible to get the room to supply them with firewhiskey.  
  
"James," said Hermione. "Do you know anyone named Bertha?" James thought for a moment.  
  
"A couple," he said after some consideration.  
  
"Any that would have anything to do with Peter?" asked Harry. James and Lily nodded.  
  
"Yeah," Lily said. "Peter had, still has, I think, a very large crush on Bertha Jorkins. She graduated from here two years ago, but I think he stays in contact with her."  
  
"Are they dating?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Not that we know of," said James. "I think they're just really good friends, although sometimes I get the impression that Peter still wants more than friendship." Harry and Hermione nodded solemnly, but the conversation was prevented from continuing further when the portrait hole banged open and cheers and whoops of joy were heard coming from Sirius who was holding two large amber bottles above his head.  
  
"I can't believe we didn't think of that sooner!" he yelled tossing one to James.  
  
"Blimey," he said looking at the bottle as if it were a priceless treasure. "It actually worked?"  
  
"You bet!" said Sirius. "And trust me, it's excellent stuff. We've already had a little." It was then that Harry noticed Peter swaying slightly, being supported by Remus.  
  
"How much?" asked Lily angrily. "You've been gone, what, ten minutes and you're already drunk?!"  
  
"Nah, not drunk," said Peter with a smile. "Just drunkenly happy."  
  
"Well come on!" said James summoning shot glasses with his wand. "It's about time we had a celebration around here!"  
  
"And just what are we celebrating?" asked Hermione, arms crossed.  
  
"Why you two of course!" said James pouring the smoking liquid into each of the one-ounce glasses. "We haven't properly celebrated your engagement yet!"  
  
"Engagement?" asked both Harry and Hermione simultaneously.  
  
"Relax," said Sirius. "We know you're not engaged, but ever since we found out about the fact of how you two are just sooo perfect for each other, we've decided a little celebration is in order! Especially since it's inevitable that you two are going to end up married, and we're not going to get to party then like we can now."  
  
'How true that is...' Harry thought while Hermione looked disapprovingly at Lily.  
  
"What?" she asked. "I couldn't have stopped them even if I wanted to. I admit, I'm a little keen on this stuff myself," she said downing her glass. Harry couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
"Just make sure you keep away from it while you're carrying me," he said raising his glass before emptying the contents into his stomach.  
  
The celebrating continued on for about an hour. There were several Gryffindors who passed by the scene who James and Sirius tried to get to join them, but Hermione flat out refused. It was bad enough that they were consuming alcohol on the school grounds, but they sure as hell weren't getting anyone else drunk, at least not on her watch.  
  
After one of the bottles was gone, Hermione called a halt to the action. Having only had two shots herself, she was the least inebriated of the seven of them. Convincing James to put the other bottle away for some other time and saying a quick goodnight, she helped Harry to the Head Boy's room where she muttered a quick sobering spell.  
  
"That's a useful one," he said, shaking the cobwebs from his head.  
  
"You'd do well to remember it," Hermione said disapprovingly. "That is, if you're going to leave me by myself to go out drinking with the boys when we get back home." Harry walked over to her and put his arms around her waist.  
  
"I'd much rather stay here with you," he said lovingly. A mischievous grin appeared on Hermione's face.  
  
"You'll have to catch me first," she said. Without warning, she quickly changed into a cat and ran under the bed.  
  
"Awww, no fair!" Harry complained ducking down to see Hermione staring back at him with what he swore was a grin on her face. "Please come out from under there." Hermione slowly sauntered out from under the four poster and simply gave a very cat-like stretch before hoping up onto the bed and curling up on one of the pillows.  
  
"Well I was hoping we could talk about what we learned tonight, but if all you want to do is sleep..." Harry said. Hermione instantly turned back into her human form and sat up.  
  
"You know who Bertha Jorkins is then?" she asked. Harry nodded solemnly.  
  
"I remember her from my fourth year..." he said thinking. "...wait...she was the one that went missing because Voldemort killed her."  
  
"Ohhhhhh, yes I remember now, there was an article in the Prophet about her going missing," Hermione said.  
  
"It doesn't add up though," Harry commented sitting down next to her on the bed. "I mean, Peter handed her to Voldemort over the summer after our third year. He watched Voldemort torture information out of her, then kill her. It doesn't make sense why he would care about her now, he certainly didn't care about her then."  
  
"We obviously don't know enough right now, Harry," she said. "Maybe we could ask him sometime?"  
  
"...Eh, it'd be tough not to get him suspicious that we're on to him slightly," he said. "But on the other hand we might be able to convince him that Lily and James had mentioned it in side conversation."  
  
"Well whatever we do, we should do it soon," Hermione said. "What with Dumbledore and the Order getting closer to finding Flamel, we may not even be around here that much longer." Harry nodded.  
  
"Then how about we stop thinking about this for the time being and concentrate on trying to get your mind tuned to mine?" he asked with a sly grin. Hermione regarded him carefully.  
  
"Do you really mean that, or are you just trying to get in my knickers again?" she asked playfully. Harry pulled her close and nuzzled the crook of her neck.  
  
"A little bit of both," he said with a grin. With that, Hermione waved her wand and the lights in the room were extinguished.  
  
=====  
  
The next day Harry and Hermione awoke, and made their way down to the common room, to find the Marauders and Lily waiting for them.  
  
"Morning you two," said Lily smiling. "We were wondering if you were ever going to get up." It being a Saturday, they had all slept well past breakfast. "Well, come on, we should get something to eat from the kitchens so that we're not starving until the feast."  
  
"Feast?" asked Harry. "What feast?"  
  
"It's Halloween, remember?" asked James.  
  
"Oh," said Harry, having completely forgotten, that today, was indeed, All Hallow's Eve.  
  
"Harry, you okay?" asked Sirius, seeing Harry become lost in thought.  
  
"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he muttered.  
  
"James, Lily, perhaps you could come with us on a walk?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Sure," said James. "You guys don't mind, do you?" "Not at all," said Remus. "We were heading down to the kitchen to get food anyways." Sirius and Peter nodded and they set off, leaving the two couples standing there.  
  
"So, where are we going?" asked James. The two women looked at him as if he had no tact, but before they could say anything, Harry spoke.  
  
"The tree." Hermione didn't need details to know which tree Harry was talking about, so she silently took his hand, and the two of them walked out of the common room, followed by James and Lily.  
  
They arrived at the tree by the lake a few minutes later, and the four of them sat down in its shade.  
  
"Harry what's wrong?" asked Lily.  
  
"It's hard for me to explain..." said Harry. He and Hermione both knew why he was being like this, but it wasn't that easy to put into words. Especially to James and Lily.  
  
"Did something happen?" asked James. Despite his mood, Harry forced a smile at this.  
  
"More like something that's going to happen," he said sadly.  
  
"Oh..." said Lily covering her mouth. "You mean that -"  
  
"Yes," Harry said cutting her off. "On Halloween night, three years from now, Voldemort will come and kill you two." James eyes widened as he finally realised what the problem was.  
  
"Blimey," he said. "No wonder you've been acting strange since you found what today was."  
  
"It hasn't affected me like this before," said Harry. "I guess being here with you...it's made me feel like I have a family again, and I know that eventually I'm going to have to go back to a future in which I have none." Lily put an arm around Harry and gave him a squeeze.  
  
"Listen," she said. "I'm sure, that no matter what happens in the future, that James and I will always be looking down on you, making sure you're safe."  
  
"I'd like to think that was true," Harry said. "But somehow I feel that Sirius wouldn't have died if that was possible." James eyes grew wide and he stared at Harry after hearing this. "Oh, well..um..."  
  
"Sirius is dead?" whispered James. "How? When?"  
  
"He died at the end of our fifth year," Hermione said. "In a battle against Voldemort's best death eaters." James grew pale at this.  
  
"So you mean to tell me, that the only Marauders who are still alive in your time are Remus and Peter?" he asked.  
  
"...yes," said Harry after some hesitation. Lucky, James didn't notice and buried his face in his hands. There was silence for a moment until they heard a sniffle, and were extremely surprised to hear it coming from James.  
  
"James?" asked Lily.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said wiping his eyes. "But hearing that I failed to protect Sirius, and you, and Harry, it kinda gets me down a little."  
  
"You didn't fail any of us," said Harry. "You dueled bravely with Voldemort trying to save Lily and me. But we both know that no one survives once he decides to kill them. As for Sirius, well, it's a long story, but I was more at fault in that case than you were."  
  
"How so?" James asked, but before he could respond, Hermione put her hand to his mouth.  
  
"Harry, Sirius' death was not your fault," she said. "Stop saying it." Harry nodded and she removed her hand from his mouth. "Harry, I, and four others fell into a trap at the Ministry of Magic. Sirius tried to help save us, and was killed in the ensuing fight."  
  
"I see," said James slowly.  
  
"I hope you don't think any less of me," said Harry hanging his head.  
  
"Not at all," said James with a smile. "It just pains me to know that you have to witness so much death at such an age."  
  
"It hasn't been the best of experiences for me either," said Harry glumly. There was silence for a little while, until Lily spoke.  
  
"Well, I'm going to head back in, I'm getting a little hungry," she said. "James?"  
  
"What?" he asked in confusion. Lily gave him a look. "Oh, right, I'll come too. See you guys later then."  
  
"Bye," Hermione said as they walked off. When they were gone, she slid over so she could lay down in Harry's lap. "You ok?" she asked, looking into his eyes.  
  
"No," Harry replied honestly. "But I'll get over it." 'At least I hope so,' he added as an afterthought.  
  
"Don't worry," Hermione said. "You will."  
  
"I will what?"  
  
"Get over it."  
  
"I just said I'll get over it," Harry said, confused.  
  
"I heard that little sentence you mumbled afterwards," Hermione said accusingly. Harry stared at her then a smile crossed his face.  
  
"Hermione," he said cupping her chin. "I didn't say that out loud." Hermione's eyes grew wide at this.  
  
"You didn't?" she asked with a smile. Harry shook his head.  
  
"Tell me what I'm thinking now," he said. Hermione looked at his eyes intently, then a smile appeared on her face.  
  
"I love you too," she said straddling his legs. A huge grin broke out on Harry's face.  
  
"Well, this is a very interesting side-effect of our relationship," he said. "Reading that book must've paid off. James and the rest are gonna be quite proud."  
  
---------------  
  
Well that's all for this week folks. Sorry it's not more interesting than that, but the writer's block was EXCEPTIONALLY bad for this chapter. I think maybe I'm going to have to limit Harry and Hermione's adventures in the past to two more chapters, although I'm desperately hoping for three or four. I'll leave you with one parting thought, and that is you can expect a quidditch match next chapter. ;)  
  
Until then, may all your ships be happy, and all your fics be fluffy! 


	13. Quidditch Through the Ages

A new day, a new golf course, and a new chapter. What more could a prospering screenwriter want?

Ok, you know how I love all the reviews and such, but now, it's starting to get ludicrous. I've got people reviewing and complaining about how 'Harry's revealing too much information to James and Lily. Dumbledore better memory charm them after they go back.' In the first two hours after I posted Chapter 12, I got three, THREE, reviews brining this up. Folks, I expect better of you, honestly. If you're going to make snide comments at me, PLEASE make sure you know what you're talking about first. For each and every one of you who sent me a review of this nature, go back and read Chapter 8 again. Now. Punishment for your insolence :) . Just kidding of course, but come on, I've already mentioned that Dumbledore WILL be memory charming EVERYONE who knows any bit of truth. As for HOW he's going to accomplish it without deleting the important parts (such as Lily and James' newfound relationship), we must not forget that Dumbledore is a brilliant man, who always comes up with the solution to everything, even if it's the wrong solution sometimes. Now, with that in mind, I kindly ask the faithful readers out there to please not send in reviews complaining about the plot. If I'm actually making errors in canon, grammar, spelling, etc. I encourage you to point them out. But kindly leave the plot to me. As one reviewer said to me once:

"Lots of interesting things that could happen, but YOU are the Omnipotent Author. The one who knows all and writes it down YOUR way!"

I'd like to think this is true lol. So, as a final plea, from the bottom of my heart; please let everything that happens in the story simply happen. Rest assured, I'm taking precautions to make sure that there are NO loose ends in existence that I don't want there on purpose. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING that happens has a reason. All of you who yelled at me about it, you have NO idea how important James and Lily finding out about their deathday is to the plot. The answers will all come in time, just keep reading, and everything will unveil itself.

And now, I offer a sincere apology at my outburst. I know that I will have offended some people (and will probably receive some flames as a result), but what I said needed to be said. To the rest of you who spoke out of pure curiosity and had no badgering intentions, I am truly sorry.

One last thing. Because Harry and Hermione start conversing with each other in their heads in this chapter, the dialogue may get confusing. To keep it simple, when they're talking in their heads, the dialogue will be in single quotes 'like this,' not "like this." Now, no more small talk, let's play some qudditch!

God, I hate Fanfiction. They keep reformating my chapters for me. Damnit it all to hell.

* * *

Chapter 13: Quidditch Through the Ages

Two weeks had passed since the first time that Hermione read Harry's thoughts, and the first qudditch match of the season was right around the corner. It was the traditional Slytherin vs. Gryffindor, and James had the team working doubly hard so they could finally reclaim the cup that they hadn't held in three years.

In addition to the extra practices, Harry and Hermione had been practicing their silent communication every night. After ten days of re-reading Spirit Theory, they had finally managed to convey simple words to each other using only their minds. Slowly, they progressed into sentences, and two days later found themselves able to fully converse with each other.

Harry and Hermione were sitting in the common room one night doing their homework, when Hermione's voice entered Harry's head.

'Don't look now, but they're at it again,' her voice said to him. Turning from his transfiguration essay, he saw James and Lily in a very passionate lip-lock on the couch by the fire.

'You can hardly blame them,' Harry replied. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione give a small chuckle. Glancing around the room, he saw that people were beginning to stare at the sight that James and Lily were making. Even Sirius and Remus had halted their discussion on quidditch to watch the proceedings.

"Hey!" Harry barked. James promptly fell off the couch causing Lily to burst into a fit of giggles as her face turned a slight pink. Slowly, James peeked over the back of the couch, his face crimson red. "I would say, 'get a room,' but I believe that as Head Girl, Lily already has one?" Harry asked, prompting more blushing from the two of them. "The Head Boy and Girl snogging on the common room couch for everyone to see; set an example and keep your displays of affections private." Blushing, the two of them removed themselves from each other's arms and returned to sitting positions on the couch.

'You handled that well,' said Hermione in Harry's head.

'Gotta learn how to tell off students for snogging in public sometime,' he replied with a snicker. 'I am Head Boy in the future, after all.' Hermione laughed from her seat a few feet away, got up, and walked over to him.

"I sure you'll be great at it without any practice," she said out loud.

"I can think of one other thing I was great at without any practice," Harry responded wiggling his eyebrows. "I didn't see you complaining."

"I didn't want to get your self-esteem down," she replied with a laugh.

"I suppose I deserved that," he said giving her a kiss. A minute later, a loud shout disrupted his thoughts.

"Hey!" James yelled. "And you're telling me to watch my affections in public."

"It's not like I was snogging her into next year," Harry replied smugly. "I take care of my private business in private, unlike you two," he said pointing an accusing finger. James and Lily blushed some more at this.

"We'd prefer not to hear about our...son's...personal matters if it's all the same to you," responded Lily taking care to whisper the word 'son'. Hermione gave a chuckle at this, walked over to Lily and whispered something, causing her face to turn bright red.

"Hermione!" she gasped.

'What'd you tell her?' Harry asked in his head.

'That we can talk dirty to each other whenever we want, because of the uncanny ability to communcate with our minds,' came the response. Harry turned and looked at Hermione, who was wearing an extremely smug grin on her face.

"I can't believe you said that," he said with a laugh.

"Why? It's true," she replied with a smile. At this, Lily threw up her hands.

"Ugh! Please, enough!" she cried.

"Do we want to know what's going on?" asked James with a smile.

"I sure would," commented Sirius from his chair.

"They can tell you if they want," said Lily. "I'm going to bed, I've heard enough smutty things about you two for tonight." And with that, she got up, gave James a quick peck on the cheek and stalked off to the Head Girl's room.

"Erm....on second thought maybe you two should keep it to yourselves," said Sirius, changing his mind. This earned a laugh from Harry and Hermione.

"So..." James said lowering his voice. "Any progress Harry?" He didn't have to ask what James meant. Harry knew perfectly well that James was referring to his animagus practice. He had managed to turn himself into the spectral form that came before his body could take shape as an animal, but none of them could figure out what animal he was.

"Not really," said Harry slumping down on the couch where Lily had been sitting. Hermione sat down on the arm of the sofa and put her arm around him. "I keep not getting the animal right."

"Well, what have you tried?" asked Remus. Harry groaned.

"Practically everything," he said. "I swear I've forgotten one, but I can't remember what it is for the life of me."

"Dog?" asked Sirius.

"No."

"Rat?" asked Peter. Harry shook his head.

"Phoenix?" asked James. Harry looked up at his father in surprise, but shook his head anyway.

"No, it was the first one I tried. I thought for sure that'd be it, but I guess I was wrong," he said. The six of them sat quietly for a little while pondering on what animal Harry could possibly be, before James looked at his watch and nearly fell off the couch.

"Blimey!" he yelled. "It's half eleven already! We've got to get sleep for tomorrow," he said quickly heading towards the stairs.

"James, the game isn't until Saturday," called Harry. James stopped and turned, wearing a confused look on his face.

"So?" he responded. "Last minute practice, you know that! And you should be getting your rest too," he added. "I work the team even harder on the last practice before the match." With that he disappeared up to the dorms.

"He could give Wood a run for his money," said Harry getting up begrudgingly. "And that's saying something."

As hard as Harry found it to believe, James had been telling the truth. After the four hour practice on the following night, in which Harry had never flown as hard in his life (including games he played in), he could barely move he was so sore. Even Lily had pulled James aside asking him what he was thinking by keeping them out there so long. Walking into the common room, he collapsed on the couch and was immediately comforted by Hermione.

"Are you ok?" she asked. "You looked like you were having a tough time out there."

"Not tough, just exhausting," Harry replied. "And how would you know, anyway?" he asked genuinely curious.

"I was watching through the window. I couldn't my work done, not while I was worried about you flying your arse off out there for James," Hermione answered.

"You don't have to worry about me so much you know," he said rubbing his eyes.

"I know I don't have to, but even with the prophecy, seeing you fall off your broom fifty feet to the ground wouldn't have me throwing a party," she replied. A smile came over his face but quickly vanished as he tried to stand up.

"Ohhh," he groaned reaching for his back. Hermione helped up, and looked at him with a smug grin.

"Perhaps we could ask Lily if James is currently occupying the Head Boy bath," she said. "You look like you could use some hot water."

"You have no idea how good that idea sounds right now," he said grimacing. They walked up the stairs to the landing carefully and knocked on Lily's door. When there was no reply, Harry's brow furrowed.

"That's odd," he said. "I distinctly heard Lily say she was going to her room to relax."

"Maybe we should just go in," Hermione suggested.

"What if she's in there with James and they've put a silencing charm on the door?" asked Harry. Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Finite Incantatem," she muttered. Still, no noise was heard from inside the room. Shrugging, Harry nodded and Hermione opened the door to Lily's room, finding it quite empty. They walked in and looked around for any sign of Lily, when Hermione heard a giggle behind the closed bathroom door.

"Harry, maybe we should just go to the Head Boy's room and not worry about it." Harry turned and looked at her quizzically.

"Why?" he asked. As if to answer his question, a muffled moan came from behind the closed door. Harry's eyes widened in shock and he promptly hobbled his way out of the room and into the Head Boy's, Hermione hot on his heels. Closing the door behind her, she saw that Harry was standing stock still, his face the color of a radish.

"Well," said Hermione after some silence. "At least the door was closed." At this Harry walked into the bathroom throwing up his hands and muttering that sounded like, 'bad images....'

She followed him into the lavatory, and closed the door behind her, making sure to cast several powerful locking and silencing charms. Turning back to Harry, she saw that he was already in his boxers and turning on the tap for the hot-tub.

"Not wasting any time, are we?" she asked, starting to shed her clothes.

"I want to get into the water, and get the vision of my parents shagging out of my head as quickly as possible, if that's all right with you," he said shaking his head slightly. Hermione gave a chuckle as Harry removed the last of his clothes and got into the now full hot-tub.

"I don't know why it revolts you so much," she said slipping in besides him, now equally naked. "I mean, you know that they had to do it at least once in order to have you." Harry let out a groan and put his arm over his eyes while shaking his head.

"You're not making this much better," he said with another grimace. Hermione just laughed.

"Fine have it your way," she said. "Just get all the knots in those muscles worked out. You have a big game tomorrow, after all." Removing his arm from his face, he looked at her exposed body and couldn't help but smile. Hermione saw this and narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought you were to sore too even move, let alone do that." Harry chuckled.

"Who says I have to move?" he said with a grin. Hermione gave him a smug look and moved in front of him.

"And here you were complaining so much about all the physical work you do," she said grinning.

"Well you know what they say," Harry replied taking her hand and pulling her on top of him. "Fight fire with fire."

The next day everyone woke with the excited buzz that only an imminent quidditch match could bring. Everyone on the Gryffindor team had woken early so they could eat breakfast quickly then run down to the pitch and go over some last-minute tactics. Hermione had gotten up early too, wanting to see Harry off before the game started. The two of them had mutually agreed not to bring up what either of them had witnessed the night before to James and Lily; they feared it could only cause embarrassment.

Harry had commented on Tonks' hair, which was bright red today for the game, but he felt slightly shaken up as they finished breakfast.

'Nervous?' asked Hermione silently as they were heading down to the pitch alongside the team.

'More than I thought I would be,' Harry admitted. 'I want to make a good impression on my mum and dad, you know, not let everyone down.' Hermione gave a small, audible chuckle at this.

'Why do you think I worked hard in school all these years?' she asked with a smile. Harry gave a laugh and put his arm around her, continuing to converse through their link until they reached the locker room.

"All right, well I'll see you in a little while," Hermione said giving Harry a hug. "Be careful out there."

"I will," he replied kissing her quickly on the cheek, earning a few wolf whistles from the male contingent of the team. Blushing, Hermione exited and made her way to the stands to watch with Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"All right team," said James gearing into 'captain mode'. "Listen up. We've got a hell of a group this year. We've got all of our plays down to perfection, we've got three chasers and a keeper who, if I may say so myself, are some of the best to ever grace these grounds. AND..." he paused for effect. "We've got possibly the greatest seeker in existence right now." James shot Harry a wink here.

"Hey what about us?" piped Dolsher.

"Eh? Ah you two are ok," said James with a sarcastic smile. There was a shared chuckle here by everyone in the room, then James' face grew serious again. "I'm only kidding of course, you two are great as well. Now let's not forget the strategy. Harry, you're on your own until you spot the snitch, then everyone except Lily piles on to make sure he catches it, got that?" Everyone in the room nodded.

"I still don't see why I have to defend the posts with no help," Lily muttered.

"Because hopefully with all of us shielding Harry, he should be able to catch the snitch in a matter of seconds," James replied. "Now, we've got a match to win. On three, Lion Pride! One, two, three!"

"LION PRIDE!" shouted the entire team as they made their way out onto the pitch. Suddenly it hit Harry.

'That's the animal I've forgotten!' he thought to himself hitting his forehead.

'What is?' came the voice of Hermione in his head, causing Harry to jump.

'You can hear me?' he asked following his team out onto the pitch. 'I thought we had to be near each other in order for this to work.'

'Apparently not,' Hermione replied. 'So what were you thinking about?'

'I just thought about an animal I had forgotten,' Harry said. 'The lion.'

'You didn't try lion?!' Hermione said accusingly.

'No...' he replied timidly.

'Well go on, you have a game to play,' she said. 'We'll worry about this later. I won't bother you while you're in the air.'

'You never know,' Harry said. 'It might help.'

A twenty-year younger Madam Hooch stepped out onto the field, with the chest of balls under her arm.

"Captains, shake hands!" she ordered. James and the Slytherin captain (a thin, menacing looking boy by the name of Roddrick) stepped forward and shook hands before turning back to their own teams.

"Welcome to the opening match of the season, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!" shouted the commentator from high above the ground. Harry didn't recognize the voice; he figured the person must've been in a different house.

"Teams at the ready," said Madam Hooch as she released the bludgers and snitch. With a blow of her whistle, the quaffle was in the air along with the two teams and the game was on.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the scene that played itself out in the next few minutes. Harry knew that the Gryffindor team was going to win the cup this year, but 'bloody hell!' he thought. James, Tonks, and Kielty could have given Angelina, Alicia, and Katie a run for their money. They moved with speed, precision, and cunning. Five minutes into the game Gryffindor was up 30-0. Lily hadn't even had to defend the hoops yet.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin beaters were sending the bludgers every which way at the Gryffindor chasers. Harry was circling the pitch high above the action, when he vaguely registered the announcer yelling, "Fifty to nothing Gryffindor! The chasers are really on their game today – THAT'S A BLATANT FOUL RIGHT THERE!" Harry looked down to groans and boos from the Gryffindor stands and saw James falling to the ground. Madam Hooch immediately blew her whistle signifying a penalty shot, and the team assembled on the pitch below.

"James!" shrieked Lily running over to him. He was unconscious, and Lily was desperately trying to revive him.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Manvers sent a bludger to his head," said Tonks. "He didn't even see it coming." Harry looked back up at Madam Hooch, who had called a timeout on the field in order to deal with the injury. Madam Pomfrey came running out onto the field to examine James.

"He's alive," she said feeling his forehead. "But I think he's been concussed fairly badly. I'll have to take him to the hospital wing."

"I'm going with you," said Lily determinedly. There were shouts of protest from the team, but Harry raised his hand to silence them.

"Let her go," he said. "She doesn't deserve the pressure of playing out here while James is injured." Even though it was common knowledge that James and Lily were dating, there were still groans from the team.

"So what do we do now?" asked Muldew. "We're down two players now." Harry looked over his shoulder at being James floated off the pitch on a stretcher by Madam Pomfrey, accompanied by Lily. Sighing, he turned back to the team with resignation.

"Okay," he said sighing. "We're up fifty to nothing right now. We've got a penalty, and I have complete faith that afterwards it'll be sixty nothing." The group nodded slowly. "So here's what we're gonna do. I'll act as keeper, until I spot the snitch. Muldew, you stay with me and guard the right hoop, I'll take the center and left ones." Muldew nodded. "Tonks, Kielty, and Dolsher, you three need to play some **really** good defense until I spot the snitch. Got it?" Everyone nodded, albeit hesitantly. "Hey," Harry said, noticing the defeated looks on the team. "We can do this. Two players means nothing right now. We can outplay the Slytherins in every facet of this game with seven people, so now the game should be just about even, right?" There was a more enthusiastic nod this time. "All right then. NOW LET'S GO OUT THERE AND WIN THIS FOR JAMES!" Harry yelled. There was cheering from the team as Madam Hooch descended to talk to them.

"Have you decided who'll be taking the penalty shot?" she asked.

"I will," said Tonks. Madam Hooch nodded and tossed her the quaffle.

'Harry is everything okay? What happened?' asked Hermione in Harry's head.

'Everything's fine,' he reassured her. 'James got concussed, and Lily left with him. So we're at a two-man disadvantage, but I think we'll be okay.'

'All right,' Hermione replied. 'Just be careful.'

'Always.' Tonks sped off towards the Slytherin hoops, straight at the keeper. At the last second possible, she swerved to her right drawing the keeper away, and threw the quaffle across her body right through the center hoop, There was cheering from the Gryffindor seats, and Madam Hooch resumed play with a blow of her whistle.

Later, Harry would realise that he shouldn't have underestimated the Slytherin team's skill. Within twenty minutes the score was 60-100 in favor of Slytherin, despite several shots that were blocked by Harry and Muldew. He could tell the team was starting to get nervous. Truth be told, he was starting to get a little nervous himself.

It was then that he saw the Slytherin seeker start to slowly make his way around the perimeter towards the side of the pitch on Harry's left. Watching carefully, he noticed that the seeker's eyes were carefully trained on one spot. 'He's seen it...' Harry thought to himself, and quickly scanned the area where his counterpart's gaze was.

And sure enough, there it was. Hovering 5 feet off the ground was the golden snitch. Quickly doing some math, Harry realised that even with his superior broom from the future, he would probably not win a straight out race here. The Slytherin seeker was about fifty meters closer to it than he was, and there was no way Harry could beat him to the snitch with that much of a difference.

'I need it to move closer to me...' Harry thought. And as if to answer his request, the snitch fluttered lazily twenty or so meters towards him. With a quick shrug, Harry shouted over to Muldew, "All or nothing!" and took off at full speed after the snitch.

The other seeker noticed this and quickly sped off from the opposite end of the pitch. Harry guessed that the snitch was about ten meters closer to the Slytherin seeker than him, and so he put on an extra burst of speed.

The distance between the two seekers and the snitch was rapidly decreasing. Harry was coming from the south end, the Slytherin keeper from the north. He didn't bother to hear that in the confusion of the chase, Kielty had grabbed the quaffle and managed to score twice.

"Faster..." Harry urged his broom. He was now only 20 feet from the snitch, about the same as the other seeker. Harry was there, he was going to get there first, he knew it...

But snitches, unfortunately, have minds of their own, and realising that two seekers were bearing down on it, it decided to move in the only direction it could to escape and shot upwards. Fortunately for Harry, he was just far enough away to notice this change and pulled up after it, only to feel a piece of hard wood slam into his chest, nearly knocking him off his broom.

Clutching his ribs in agony, Harry saw the other seeker, skid to a halt on the ground after colliding with him. Starting to get dizzy from the pain, Harry put on a final burst of speed as he reached up to grab the snitch. The last thing Harry remembered was falling to the ground with the golden ball clutched in his hand.

'Harry...Harry...can you hear me?' a voice in his head said. It sounded strangely familiar.

'Hermione?' he replied, barely able to form a coherent thought.

'Oh god, I'm so glad you can hear me,' she said. 'I've been trying for hours and been getting no response.'

'Hours?' asked Harry not opening his eyes. 'How long have I been out?'

'Six hours,' came the reply. 'Madam Pomfrey said you were lucky to be alive.'

'What happened?'

'The collision broke four of your ribs,' Hermione said. 'You passed out from the pain and fell about thirty feet to the ground.'

'What about James, is he okay?' Harry asked.

'Yes, he's been awake for a while now," she replied. 'Can you open your eyes?' Gathering his strength, Harry opened his eyes and saw Hermione hunched over him, her eyes red and puffy.

"Hey..." he said, his voice gravelly. Hermione threw her arms around him causing him to wince.

"Sorry," she said pulling back. "I guess the potion hasn't finished healing you yet."

"Harry!" yelled Lily running over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're awake. God, I was so scared when they brought you in here. Hermione and I were in a right state, we thought you might've died." Harry managed to force out a smile.

"Nope, alive and kicking," he said tiredly. "Where's everyone else?"

"They went back to the common room to celebrate the win when you hadn't woken up after an hour," Lily replied. "You can't blame them, two-hundred and thirty to a hundred, we haven't had a win like that against Slytherin in a while." Harry's eyebrows arched at this.

"That's not a very big margin of victory," he said hesitantly. Lily nodded.

"Like I said, we haven't had a win like that against Slytherin in a while." Harry sighed and nodded.

"Well a win's a win. How's James doing?"

"Fine," Lily replied. "He woke up about an hour ago and has a hell of a headache, but should be okay in a day or so."

"I'm fine right now," said James hobbling over to the three of them.

"You should be in bed," Lily said reprovingly.

"Well I want to see if Harry's doing any better, is that okay?" he asked. "I heard you nearly killed yourself catching the snitch."

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Bloody awful flyer their seeker is, anyone with any flying skills whatsoever would have been able to pull up before they hit me. Even Malfoy could've done it."

"Malfoy?" asked James.

"Long story," said Hermione shaking her head. At this point Madam Pomfrey bustled over with a flask of what Harry recognised as a dreamless sleep potion.

"James! You get back in your bed right now!" she shrieked seeing him up and walking about. Grumbling, he made his way back to his bed, and the nurse handed Harry the potion.

"Take this Lockheart," she said. "You need sleep in order for your bones to heal completely." With that she bustled back over to James to tend to him, and Harry uncorked the bottle.

"I'm going to go back over to James," she said. "Feel better, Harry."

"Thanks," he replied downing the potion. Immediately he began feeling drowsy. "Hermione, stay with me?" he managed to ask.

"Of course," she replied before Harry drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Two days later James had been released from the hospital wing, but Harry was still bed-ridden. Madam Pomfrey was giving him daily checkups and said that he would still be in the hospital another week. Apparently when he landed, the impact caused minor brain damage, and the nurse wanted to make sure that the swelling had gone back down before he left.

Hermione had stayed with him the entire time, except when she had to go to classes. After a brief argument (which Harry didn't hear because of his dreamless sleep), she had convinced Madam Pomfrey to let her sleep in the bed beside his.

Harry was sitting up in bed reading over the transfiguration assignment from Professor McGonagal, when Hermione came into the room, followed by James and Lily.

"Hey," he said putting the parchment down. "I haven't seen you two in a while. How are you doing, James?"

"Better. Nursed me back to health, this one did," he said putting an arm around Lily who blushed at this statement.

"Are you feeling any better," asked Hermione sitting on Harry's bed next to him.

"The same," he replied. "I still feel like my head is swimming."

"I'm sure you'll get better," said Lily. "Madam Pomfrey hasn't failed to cure anyone yet."

"Yeah," said James. "Listen Harry, I haven't had a chance to properly congratulate you on your catch the other day. From what I hear it was bloody brilliant."

"Thanks," he replied. At this Hermione looked down at her feet with a sigh. The action didn't go unnoticed by Harry. "What's wrong?" he asked. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"Oh, it's just that this is why I hate it when you play quidditch," she said. "You always manage to give me a terrible scare."

"But I've never been injured beyond repair, have I?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't mean that it won't happen eventually," Hermione replied. "I'm not asking you to stop playing, it just frightens me so." Harry sat up and put an arm around her.

"Listen," he said. "If it worries you that much...well, then I'll consider giving it a rest. It's not like I'm going to play quidditch professionally anyway." At this James' jaw dropped.

"Do you mean that?" Hermione asked. "You'd give up quidditch...for me?" Harry nodded.

"All I want is for you to be happy," he said taking her hand.

"Harry, you...you're going to give up quidditch?" asked James incredulously. "I mean, I understand that I'm going to have to find another seeker when you leave, but I mean you're going to give it up entirely?" Harry shrugged.

"I'm not going to make any hasty decisions. When we get back to the future, I'll take a look at my options and make a decision then." James let out a breath that he had been holding.

"Well speaking of decisions," said Lily. "I think it's a good time to tell you that I'm quitting the team."

"WHAT?!" shouted James and Harry at the same time, causing Madam Pomfrey to come out of her office and shush them.

"I'm sorry James, but I can't be leaving the field to take care of you every time you get injured. I understand that it's a part of the game, but you're more important to me than blocking the quaffle." James' mouth was open, but he nodded numbly.

"Well, I guess that means I need to put up a bulletin for keeper tryouts," he said sighing. "You're sure you want to quit?" Lily nodded.

"Positive," she said.

"Well, all right," said James with a sigh. "Let's go and get a sign put up. Hope you feel better Harry."

"Thanks," he replied as Lily and James turned to leave. "Hey guys?" he called out remembering something. The couple stopped and turned around. "When you see him later, can you ask Peter to stop by, I want to ask him something." James shrugged.

"Sure," he said. "He's probably in the common room with Remus and Sirius. I can go and get him now if you like." Harry nodded.

"That'd be great," he said.

"No problem." With that James and Lily departed, leaving Harry and Hermione alone.

"I thought you weren't going to confront him," she said once positive that James and Lily were out of range.

"I'm not confronting him," Harry said. "I just want to ask him some things that might help shed some light on this situation."

"You don't think he'll get wise to you?" Hermione asked.

"Nah, it's not like I'm going to ask him if he already has the mark on his arm, which I know he doesn't."

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I do share a dorm with him," Harry pointed out. Hermione nodded.

"So what are you going to ask him?" she asked.

"I've had a lot of time to get everything planned out," he said. "Don't worry." A few seconds later Peter walked through the double doors of the hospital wing.

"Hey," he said sitting on the bed next to Harry. "James said you wanted to s-see me?" Harry nodded.

"I heard you know Bertha Jorkins," he said calmly. Peter looked taken aback at this.

"How do you know about her?" he asked guardedly.

"James and Lily, of course," he said. "I just know who she is in the future and wanted to ask you about her." Peter seemed to relax at hearing this.

"Oh," he said. "Well what do you want to know?"

"How'd you meet her?" Harry asked. Peter turned slightly red at this.

"Well, I was getting picked on by some Slytherins in the hall when James, Sirius, and Remus weren't around, and she helped me out. We became friends after that," he said in a small voice.

"What's she like?"

"She's really nice to me," Peter replied. "I asked her on a date once but she said she wanted to be just friends. That's okay with me though, it's nice to have a female friend to talk to." Harry gave Hermione a small wink at this. "Why are you asking this? D-do I get together with her in the future?" he asked excitedly.

"Now Peter, you know I can't tell you that," Harry said. "You already know too much about 1997 anyway." His shoulders slumped dejectedly at hearing this.

"I don't suppose she talks about me, does she?" he asked weakly.

"I wouldn't know," Harry replied. "She worked in the ministry for a while, but I don't know where she is now." Which was actually the truth, Harry had no idea where they'd buried her.

"Oh well," said Peter. "Anything else?"

"Oh there is one thing," Harry said. "Could you give this letter to Lily for me?" Peter took the letter and looked at it wearily.

"Sure thing," he said. "Hope you feel better."

"Thanks," Harry replied.

"See you, Hermione," Peter said getting up and walking towards the doors.

"Bye!" she called out as he left. After he was gone she looked at Harry who had a confused expression on his face. "What is it?" she asked. Harry shook his head.

"That is a boy who's infatuated," Harry replied. "It's blatantly obvious."

"Is that a bad thing?" Hermione asked.

"Yes and no," he replied. "I don't understand how he could have feelings for her, and then twenty years later give her to Lord Voldemort."

"Maybe they had a falling out?" she suggested.

"I doubt it," Harry said. "In the dream I had before fourth year, Voldemort made it sound as if they were the best of friends when Peter confronted her." Hermione looked at him quizzically.

"You remember that?" she asked.

"Old dreams I've had are starting to become more clear," he replied. "I don't know why."

"What was the letter about?"

"Just a little test to see if he actually gives it to her," he replied. "If I know anything about my parents, it's that when Lily gets that letter, she'll want to come right down here and thank me for it."

"Why?" asked Hermione. Harry grinned.

"Because she's my mum," he said. "I'm sure she'll –"but he didn't have time to finish his sentence because at that moment, Lily flew into the hospital wing holding the letter in her hand and promptly gave Harry a hug.

"Harry, thank you," she said. He turned and gave a smug grin to Hermione who rolled her eyes. "But it was nothing really."

"Nonsense," said Harry. "I wouldn't have even been able to become friends with James, and, Sirius, and everyone if it hadn't been for you in the first place."

"What's it say?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, Harry just thanked me for being there for you two when you first arrived here," she said. "And I assure you it was nothing."

"Well, I wanted to thank you anyway," Harry said. The three of them continued to make pleasant conversation as they reminisced over the past two months, when none other than Albus Dumbledore walked through the double wooden doors with his usual twinkle.

"Professor!" said Harry with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Quite well, Harry, quite well," replied Dumbledore.

"What brings you here, professor?" asked Hermione.

"Well I'm pleased to say that I have some rather good news," he said.

"Yes?" asked Harry. Dumbledore leaned in close so he could lower his voice slightly.

"The Order has managed to rescue Nicolas Flamel," he said with a smile. Harry's face fell a little bit, and he could've sworn Hermione's did the same.

"So...so we're going back then?" she asked.

"Well, you'll have two weeks while we make the required potion, but then, yes. You will return to your own time." Harry nodded. "I'll leave you three to discuss what you need to, then," the headmaster said, and got up to leave the hospital wing.

"Headmaster?" asked Lily before he exited. Dumbledore turned around. "Who will be making the spell?"

"I will," the headmaster said. "I wish for there to be no mistakes in this. Nicolas, who as you may or may not know is a brilliant alchemist, will brew the potion, and I will be the one taking it. As they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself." Lily nodded and Dumbledore left the hospital wing.

They each sat there in silence for a few minutes until Harry spoke up.

"Lily, do you think you could go and bring all of the Marauders down here?" he asked. Lily nodded and left to go retrieve them.

"Well," said Hermione. "I guess this is it then."

"Yep," said Harry. "We're going home."

* * *

Phew! Glad to have that one over with, it was fairly tough to write. A couple things I wanted to get out of the way. First, the next chapter will be the last one in the past, as so many of you have wanted me to GET ON WITH IT! The second is the conversation with Peter. Please refrain from posting negative comments about it, I know it's not that thorough and doesn't really make much sense, but it's important to the greater plot. Hope you all liked it, and you can look forward to 1997 at the end of next chapter. 


	14. The Path Ahead

Well folks, here it is at last. Half of you were asking me to write more in the past, the other half wanted me to get H/Hr back to 1997. Unfortunately I've run out of subject material for 1977. It's really hard to write good chapters when there is absolutely NO conflict happening. So it's time to go back to the future.

And I know this chapter is a little short in the word count, only just over 6k. I'm hoping that now that I have some subject material to write about, and not just spur of the moment stuff, I can hit at least 7.5k words a chapter starting with the next one. Enjoy!

And just to let everyone on FF know, I hate this stupid auto-reformatting thing. Go read my stuff on PK, it looks much more professional.

* * *

Chapter 14: The Path Ahead

Harry and Hermione sat in silence for the few minutes while Lily was gone. When she finally returned, the Marauders were hot on her heels.

"Hey," said Harry sighing.

"What's wrong?" asked James. "Lily just came up and told we had to come down here right away."

"Wouldn't even tell us what it was about," chimed in Sirius.

"Well, it's their business to tell you, not mine," huffed Lily.

"So what is it?" asked James. Harry and Hermione exchanged a quick glance before Hermione spoke up.

"Professor Dumbledore came in a few minutes ago to talk to us," she said. "They've found Flamel. We're going home in two weeks."

A silence hung in the air after she said this. The expressions in the room could only be described as crestfallen.

"So, that's it then?" asked James. "You're just going back?" Harry nodded slowly. "Well you know what this means then, right?" The other six people in the room looked at him expectantly.

"What?" asked Harry.

"We need to throw a going away party!" James yelled, to which Harry, Sirius, and Peter shouted their approval.

"How about waiting until Harry gets out of hospital first?" asked Lily. The cheers immediately subsided and were replaced by looks of disappointment.

"Fine," said James. "Hurry up and get better soon then."

"Madam Pomfrey said I should be out of here in a little under a week," Harry said with a sigh. "Maybe I can convince her to let me out a day or so earlier."

"Well good!" said Sirius. "We need to use up that bottle of Firewhiskey we still have!"

"I don't really think it's a good idea for Harry to be drinking so soon after his brain has gone back to its normal size," chastised Hermione.

"Well tell it to bloody hurry up then!" responded Sirius.

"What is all this racket?!" screeched Madam Pomfrey coming out of her office. "You lot, shoo! Lockheart needs to rest if he's going to get better." With dejected groans coming from Lily and the Marauders, they each left after bidding Harry and Hermione goodbye.

"So how am I doing?" Harry asked once they had gone. The nurse gave him a quick examination before shrugging.

"Better," she said. "You might be able to get out of here in five days or so, provided you do nothing strenuous." Harry nodded and Madam Pomfrey went back into her office to do more work.

"Nothing strenuous..." sighed Harry. "I guess this means you're on your own for a little while," he said to Hermione with a smile.

"Oh I'm plenty more than capable of being on my own," she replied with an equally smug grin. "But that'll have to wait, as right now I've got classes, and you've got homework to catch up on." And with that, she gave Harry a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving him there to work.

'I need to stop looking at her arse when she leaves a room,' he thought.

'I heard that,' she retorted back in his head. Chuckling, Harry shook his head and went back to his transfiguration essay.

Five days later, Harry was released from the hospital wing with cheers from the Marauders and Lily, who promptly threw a large party in his honor in the Gryffindor common room.

"Was it really necessary to invite the whole house?" Hermione asked James over the din.

"Of course!" he shouted back. "Harry didn't get to join in on the party after that amazing catch of his, so we figured, 'Let's throw another one!'" Hermione chuckled to herself and sat down on Harry's lap, who was sipping at his firewhiskey after finally chasing off the last of the first and second years who wanted to hear how he caught the snitch for the hundredth time.

"How come you're not enjoying the festivities?" he asked holding up his shot glass.

"You know I don't like drinking much," Hermione said. "There are plenty of other ways for me to get giddy and relaxed at the same time." Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at this, earning a steely glare from Hermione.

'Harry, you are positively incorrigible,' she said silently.

'And you love me for it,' he responded with a grin.

"Hey! Hermione! Why aren't yoo joining in on all de fun?" shouted a drunken Sirius.

"Because I like the contents of my stomach just where they are, thank you," she retorted with a grin. "Besides, alcohol affects my thinking."

"Aww c'mon," he continued to slur. "Everyone knowz that drinking affectsh your liver, not yer brain." At this, Lily walked over to Sirius.

"Okay," she said wobbling slightly. "No more for you." Sirius threw Lily a disgusted look before passing out on the floor. "James! Come over here and clean this up!" she shouted. James walked over laughing and he hoisted Sirius up over his shoulder and carried him up to the dorms.

"THAT is why I don't drink," Hermione said looking at Harry.

"Eventually you will," he responded. "You did drink a little bit the first time they got hold of Firewhiskey."

"Well..." she said. "It really doesn't taste all that bad you know." Harry grinned.

"Hey Harry!" shouted James coming back down the stairs. "How do you like your party?"

"It's great, thanks!" he shouted in response. James nodded and walked off to Lily, who was chuckling at something Remus had said.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how he got to be Head Boy..." said Hermione watching James. Harry shrugged.

"Probably the same way I did," he admitted. "I mean, neither he nor I were prefects, yet we accomplished enough for Dumbledore to make us Head Boys."

"I suppose," said Hermione.

The party finally started to wind down around 1 a.m., at which point the students no longer had the energy to keep making runs to the Room of Requirement for more Ogden's. Each of them came up and bid Harry and Hermione good night in turn, before retiring to their own respective dorms to sleep off the alcohol. Finally, just Harry, Hermione, James, and Lily were left, Peter and Remus having gone to make sure Sirius was doing okay.

"So," said James collapsing into a chair. "Did you enjoy?" Harry nodded.

"Usually I'm not one for parties, but I had a good time tonight," he admitted.

"Me too," said Hermione. "Even if I didn't drink." Lily chuckled at this.

"I don't understand why you refuse so adamantly, Hermione," she said. "I mean look at me. I'm Head Girl and have the best marks in the school. Every once in a while though, you just need to let go and have a good time."

"There are other ways of having a good time," Hermione said, to which James and Lily grimaced.

"Must you always talk about that?" James said shaking his head. Hermione threw her hands up in the air.

"Why does everyone always think that I'm implying that?" she asked no one in particular.

"Because it's more fun that way," Harry said with a grin. Hermione looked at him but said nothing.

"Well listen," said Lily. "It's pretty late, and we're all a little tipsy, so I think I'm going to get some sleep.

"Agreed," said James. "Let's go." With that, James grabbed Lily's hand and the two of them began walking up the stairs to the Head Girl's room.

"Not being very discreet, are you?" asked Harry when they were halfway up the steps, causing the two of them to stop.

"Can't a bloke walk his best girl to her room?" asked James.

"Certainly," replied Harry. "Then I'll assume that when I come up to the dorm in five minutes, I'll find you there?" James and Lily's faces turned red at this.

"I...uh...I will not stand for this trickery!" said James. "C'mon Lily, let's go." She gave a nod and the two of them continued up the stairs. Hermione turned and looked at Harry.

'Your parents may be good wizards, but they're horrible actors,' she said silently.

'Tell me about it. And here I was almost managing to forget what I heard going on in Lily's bathroom the night before the match.' Hermione smiled at this.

'So what can I do to take your mind off it?' she asked seductively. Harry groaned audibly at this.

'Ugh, not tonight. I think all the alcohol has affected me a little,' he said closing his eyes.

"Well that can be fixed," Hermione said out loud grabbing her wand. "Sobrietus." Harry instantly felt his headache dissipate and his vision cleared. Putting her wand away, she stood up. "Head Boy's room again?"

"Yeah," said Harry getting up to follow her. "And let's not bother to ask Lily for permission this time."

Three days later Harry, Hermione, Lily, and the Marauders were all gathered in the Room of Requirement to help Harry out with his animagus skills. The Marauders insisted that Harry became a Marauder properly, and as he was leaving in a just under a week, he needed to get on with it.

"I'm telling you there's no point," said Harry dejectedly after his fifth failed attempt. "I've tried of everything possible."

"Including lion?" asked James. Harry nodded. "Well what haven't we thought of?"

"Let's go over the list one more time," said Sirius with a sigh.

"Wait," said Hermione browsing through the books on the shelves. "Look at this first." She removed an old tome and set it on one of the desks.

"Mythical Creatures?" asked Remus. "But an animagus transformation can only involve ordinary animals."

"Well Harry's not exactly an ordinary wizard, now is he?" Hermione asked. The Marauders looked questioningly at Lily, who crossed her arms.

"Why do I have to be the deciding body for all of you?" she asked wearily.

"Because you're smart enough to be a Marauder, yet you're female," said Sirius.

"Can't argue with that," said Lily with a sigh. "I think it's a good idea. After all, it can't hurt, can it?" Shrugging, Harry opened the book and went straight to the back where the list of mythical creatures was.

"Basilisk, Behemoth, Catoblepas...hey this looks interesting," Harry said leafing through to the front of the book. "The Catoblepas was a creature that looked like a dog crossed with a bull with scales. Believed to be conceived when Persephone became angered at Cerberus, and cursed the dog to bear a pup even though Cerberus was male." There were shudders around the room at this. "Later Hades realised the benefits of Catoblepas in war, and spawned more with the use of hellfire. Eventually the it became a species of its own, and though most were hunted and killed by the early Egyptians, a few still remain in the Middle East today."

"Harry, Catoblepas was the spawn of the Goddess of the Underworld and Fluffy. You really think that's your animagus form?" asked Hermione indignantly.

"Fluffy?" asked Harry.

"You remember, big three-headed dog, guarding a trap door which we all went through in our first year to get the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry's eyes widened.

"THAT'S Cerberus?!" he exclaimed. Hermione nodded. "That explains his temper."

"Enough with the ancient mythology," James said. "Get on with it." Harry went back to the book and leafed through the index.

"Hmmmm..." said Harry opening the book to a page roughly in the middle. "This is curious."

"What is it?" asked Lily coming over.

"The Singa," Hermione quoted from the book. "Believed to be sent by the God of the Batak, taking the shape of a lion. Because only three have been recorded in existence, its omnipotence would indicate above all else, a sense of protection." Sirius shrugged at this.

"Seems simple enough," he said calmly. Hermione snorted.

"Are you joking?" she asked. "The Singa is probably the most powerful creature in existence. Its healing powers rival that of the phoenix's, not to mention the fact that the hide is strong enough to repel a direct Avada Kedavra."

"Well go on then," said James. "Give it a shot." Shrugging, Harry stood up from his seat and walked into the open space of the room. Closing his eyes, his body took the misty form it would before changing into an animal.

'Is it working?' asked Hermione silently, knowing Harry couldn't speak through his mouth right now.

'I'm not sure,' he replied. 'Something's happening, but I can't tell what...'

"Harry you better hurry up and change into a human or an animal, you can't hold that form for long," said Lily. The words weren't even out of her mouth when the transparent form that was Harry began to slowly dissolve into air.

'Harry, hurry up,' said Hermione getting worried.

'I've almost got it,' he said, his face (or what was still left of it) screwed up in concentration.

'Harry turn back,' pleaded Hermione.

'No, I'm nearly there,' he responded.

'Harry!' she screamed into her mind as the mist faded away, only to be replaced by a majestic, bronze-colored lion.

"Bloody hell," said Remus in awe. Indeed, the sight before them was quite impressive. The seven people in the room knew that a lion is no small creature, but the beast before them was quite large. Roughly the size of a small bus, in fact. The Singa that was Harry looked around, dazed, then seemed to realise that he was about a foot taller than everyone else.

"Conjurus," breathed Lily. Immediately a large mirror appeared in front of the great lion, and Harry immediately stumbled backwards over his hind paws. Changing back into a human, he lay on the floor panting.

"You all right?" asked James with an enormous smile on his face.

"Yeah," breathed Harry who was being helped to his feet by Hermione. "Bloody hell, was that me in the mirror?"

"Sure was," said Sirius. "Quite....majestic, if I may say so."

"So...wait a second," Harry said looking at Hermione. "The hide of a Singa can repel Avada Kedavra?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't advise attacking Voldemort in that form," she said, reading his thoughts.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you can't cast magic while you're like that. And all it would take is a simple 'conjurus' from Voldemort as you're leaping to pounce on him and instead you crash headlong into a brick wall, or something of the like."

"Oh," Harry slumped his shoulders dejectedly.

"Don't worry," Hermione said putting an arm around him. "I'm sure it'll be useful in other ways."

"Yeah," said James. "Now if you don't mind putting the glum feelings aside, we have an initiation to do!"

"That's right!" said Sirius snapping his fingers. "But first he needs a nickname." The Marauders nodded silently and went into deep thought.

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered to Lily.

"Don't worry," she replied in an equally low voice. "They always get like this when they're thinking."

"Aha!" said James looking up. "I've got it! We'll call him Paws."

"Paws?" asked Harry skeptically.

"Well it's the best I can come up with on short notice," said James. "After all, it took us a good month to come up with our nicknames."

"Paws, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," said Sirius. "We kind of have the 'P' thing going on there."

"I like it," said Remus. "It's simple, yet eloquent." The other Marauders stared at him in confusion. "It means it has a nice ring to it."

"Ah," said James in understanding. "Well, it's settled then. Paws it is!" He walked over to the Marauder's Map which was on one of the desks (they had brought to ensure privacy), and tapped it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map revealed itself and Sirius, Remus, and Peter all walked over to it and placed their wands on the map.

"On three then," said Remus. "3!"

"Abeo," chorused the Marauders.

"Ohhh, that's brilliant," said Hermione.

"You like it, then?" asked James.

"I take it you modified a privacy charm so that in order to be able to change the map, all four of you would have to cast the unlocking spell at once?" she asked

"Very astute of you," said Sirius. "Now, we just have to write this here..." Sirius had conjured up a quill and was writing something in a very loopy scrawl. A minute passed where all that could be heard was the slow scratching of the quill, then Sirius stood up and muttered, "Novo."

"Done," James said taking the map and tossing it to Harry. "Like it?" He stared down at the map which now read:

Messrs. Paws, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

are proud to present

**The Marauder's Map**

Harry looked at the changed map and was at a loss for words. He thought it strange, how simply changing a piece of parchment could cause such an overflow of emotion, but here he was, unable to speak.

"It's okay, Harry, you don't need to say anything," said James. Harry nodded his gratitude and in a move that surprised even himself, went over and hugged his father.

"Thank you," he said a minute later when he finally regained his voice and pulled away from James. "Thank you for letting me get to know you better."

"Not at all," said James. "It's been our pleasure, and I'm sure Lily's enjoyed it just as much as we have."

"Still, I think I'd like to give you a little something to remember me by," said Harry. He whipped out his wand, and thinking exceptionally hard, muttered, 'Conjurus'.

A painting appeared out of thin air and Harry grabbed it before it hit the ground. He gave it a quick look over to make sure it was to his specifications, then handed it to James.

"From one Marauder to another," he said. James took the painting as Sirius, Remus, and Peter gathered behind him to get a better look. The painting was, in fact, a perfect drawing of the day that Snape had overheard Harry, Hermione, and Lily's conversation and ended up spinning in the air with snowballs zooming at his head.

"Harry, my lad, that was a fine bit of conjuring there," said James with a smile.

"Let's frame it and put it up in the Gryffindor common room," said Sirius, but Lily held up her hand.

"How about you just put it in the dorm and be happy with it there, there's no need to flaunt your tormenting of Snape to the entire house," she said. Sirius looked slightly put out at this, but agreed nonetheless.

"Well come on now," said Hermione. "We've got dinner." The old Marauders nodded and made their way out of the room, followed by Lily. Harry and Hermione stood there in silence for a minute, reminiscing to themselves about what had happened in the past two and a half months, before making their way down to the Great Hall to join everyone else for dinner.

Harry remembered that before the first task in his fourth year, he thought it strange that when one is dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up. This, as Hermione pointed out, was because when one spent so much time concentrating on **not** thinking about what was to come, all the time in between would be gone and done with by the time that they caught up with their thoughts.

Unfortunately, this was the case for Harry again. It had been six days ago since the 'initiation' into the Marauders, and all of a sudden, he and Hermione were packed, ready to go, and awaiting notice from Dumbledore.

Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter would not hear of them leaving without a proper goodbye, however, and insisted on a farewell feast in the Room of Requirement. So it was with heavy hearts, and empty stomachs, that Harry and Hermione made their way to the seventh floor, dragging all their belongings with them, in case Dumbledore were to summon them during their dinner.

"I still don't know why they need to do this," said Harry as they approached the door. "They've done more than enough already."

"Surely you've realised that they're going to miss us as much as we're going to miss them," Hermione replied. Harry nodded solemly as they reached the door, and without knocking, opened it.

The room was fairly similar to the one that had been used for Hermione's birthday party. It was still a beautiful dining room, but without the streamers and balloons this time. In the center of the room was a circular table on which a large feast stood waiting and ready to be eaten.

"This looks strangely familiar," said Harry with a coy smile. James laughed.

"Well, we figured if it was good enough once, it would be good enough a second time," he said with his arm around Lily's waist.

"Well let's get eating," Hermione said. "Dumbledore might call us at any minute." The other six people in the room nodded and they all sat down to begin eating the small feast the house-elves had made for them.

"So, did you guys enjoy your time here?" asked Remus.

"It was wonderful," said Hermione. "In all honesty I wish we could stay here."

"I know," said James. "But in truth, you don't belong here."

"Yeah," Harry said with a sigh. "It's just tough to go back to a world with so much death." Lily (who was sitting next to Harry) put her arm around him comfortingly.

"You know we'll always be there for you," she whispered into his ear.

"As best you can, anyway," he replied in an equally low voice.

For the rest of the meal, the seven of them made pleasant talk, remembering the moments that had made Harry and Hermione's visit special. They'd just had the room clean everything up, when the door opened and in walked none other than Dumbledore, carrying the all-too-familiar Tome.

"Professor?" Hermione asked standing up. "Wha-....why...how come you're here?" Dumbledore chuckled at this.

"Well I figured as you have just finished your dinner, and already have your belongings with you, that we might be able to perform this little spell here, so that everyone could witness it," he replied with a smile. Harry and Hermione nodded, and instantly the room transformed into a simple open space.

"Well then," Harry said facing Lily and the other Marauders. "I guess this is it." Before any of them could react, Lily had flung herself into Harry's arms, sobbing. "Hey..." he said in a soothing voice. "It's not like we'll never see each other again." Lily looked at him questioningly.

"I...I thought that I was dead in your time," she whispered.

"You are," said Harry. "But as a wise man once told me-"he looked at Dumbledore with a smile here. "Death is but the next great adventure." Lily smiled at this and released her grip on Harry, to go over and hug Hermione. Each of the Marauders then came and shook Harry's hand before wishing him a safe journey back, and to think ever-so-highly of them once there. Assuring the group that he would, he saw that Hermione had disengaged herself from Lily and was now waiting for him next to Dumbledore.

"Well then," the headmaster said. "Shall we?" Harry and Hermione nodded and Dumbledore proceeded to draw a large golden circle on the floor. "Step inside this, and make sure you have all your belongings with you inside the circle." The two of them complied, and looked back at the five other teens in the room, who were all wearing sad expressions on their faces. Lily was still crying, and being held up by James, while Sirius, Remus, and Peter all had their arms crossed and looked to be fighting back tears.

"Harry," said James. "A Guide to Advanced Charms, page three-hundred and twenty nine." Harry's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What does that mean?" he asked. James smiled.

"You'll figure it out." Harry shook his head and chuckled before giving them a sad smile.

"Goodbye," he said. He turned to look at the headmaster, and nodded.

"Chronos," said Dumbledore. Immediately the ring around Harry and Hermione began to glow. All of a sudden, the bottom dropped out, and they were falling into oblivion...

'Harry what's going on?' said Hermione in his head.

'No idea...hang on, I think I see something below us-' and with a 'thud' the two of them landed next to all of their belongings in front of a twinkling Dumbledore.

"Ah," he said grinning. "I'm glad to see that you are right on time."

"Professor?" asked Harry looking around at the headmaster's office. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's impossible for one to memory charm one's own self, so naturally I knew you would be arriving around this time from your adventure into the past," he said with his usual twinkle.

"Professor," said Hermione tentatively. "If you performed memory charms on everyone who knew about us, then how is it Lily and James still stayed together?"

"One of the marvels about magic," he said smiling. "Is that there is absolutely no limit to what one can accomplish. After we rescued Nicolas and got the Tome back, I created a spell in addition to the one that returned you here that would perform the same function as a memory charm, but only delete selectively, instead of everything."

"So what was the result?" asked Harry.

"Your parents believed that they fell in love after the accident on the quidditch pitch that first game," Dumbledore said. "Naturally, I modified it a little bit so that it would be more realistic."

"So you combined Occlumency, Legilimancy, and a Memory Charm all into one spell?" asked Hermione incredulously.

"It really wasn't as hard as it seems," said Dumbledore. "Anyway, it's very late, and I daresay that Mr. and Ms. Weasley as still worried sick about you, so I suggest heading back to your common room now. The password is 'Thesmus'." Harry and Hermione nodded and turned to leave, before Harry spoke up.

"Is it the middle of November right now?" he asked.

"Of course," Dumbledore said unfazed. "I didn't think it fair to make you go through the first two and a half months of school all over again once back here."

"So what does everyone believe?" asked Hermione. Dumbledore shrugged.

"The story differs between houses, but it's mostly the same. Everyone who isn't a close friend of yours that I didn't talk to believes that you two went off to fight Voldemort."

"So what do I tell them now that I'm back?" asked Harry.

"I see no reason in telling them the truth, now that you're back here and safe," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded.

"Thank you sir, for everything," he said. The headmaster simply twinkled away and shooed them out of his office with a beaming smile.

Once in the hall outside the office, Harry and Hermione stood and surveyed their surroundings.

'Well,' Hermione said silently. 'We're back.'

'Yeah,' Harry replied. 'Before we go to the tower, can I check something first?'

'Sure, what do you want to check?' Hermione asked.

'You'll see.' Harry levitated his and Hermione's trunks in front of them, so they wouldn't have to keep dragging them all over the place, and a few minutes later found themselves in front of the trophy room.

"What are we doing here?" Hermione whispered.

"Just trust me on this one," Harry replied. He opened the door and peered inside, going over to the left wall and scanning it for something.

"Here it is," he said leafing through a small book he had pulled off the shelf with a smile.

"What is it?" Hermione asked squinting over his shoulder. "Oh this is silly, Lumos!" she said pulling out her wand.

"Well, at least we know that it all wasn't a dream," Harry said pointing to a page in the book. The heading read: 'House Quidditch Rosters, 77-78', and sure enough, the first listing under the Gryffindor section was:

Game 1, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin (Gryffindor d. Slytherin 230-100)

Chasers:

James Potter - 20 pts.

Nymphadora Tonks - 30 pts.

Justin Kielty - 30 pts.

Beaters:

Andreas Muldew

Francis Dolsher

Keeper:

Lily Evans - 0 saves (due to injury)

Seeker:

Harry Lockheart - Catch, 150 pts.

'They record all of this stuff?' asked Hermione silently.

'Yeah...' replied Harry walking over to the trophy case. 'And mine and Lily's names aren't on the plaque, because we quit.'

'I was wondering why I had never seen her name before,' she commented.

'They only give the players who finished the season credit,' he said. 'Or so Ron tells me.

'Hard to believe that all of that happened twenty years ago,' Hermione said as they walked out of the trophy room.

'Yeah...' Harry replied. Since it was around nine in the evening, most of the students were in their respective common rooms, but the few that they crossed on their journey back to Gryffindor Tower paled as if they'd seen a ghost and quickly run off to find someone to shout the news to.

'I give it one hour,' said Harry.

'Nah, give it until breakfast,' Hermione said. 'We don't really have any way of knowing if the entire school knows we're back until then.' Harry chuckled at this and all of a sudden the two of them found themselves in front of the portrait of the fat lady.

"Well dear me!" she exclaimed. "It's good to see the Head Boy and Girl back."

"That's right!" exclaimed Harry with a grin. "I get to tell people off for snogging in public now." Hermione laughed.

"Thesmus," she said and the portrait swung open. "Well, you ready to face the music?" Harry grabbed her hand while carefully balancing the trunks in midair with the wand in his other.

"I think I'm ready as long as I'm with you," he said seriously. Hermione smiled.

"Let's get in there then." The two of them stepped into the common room, trunks floating in front of them.

Although it was already nine, and most of the students should have already been in bed resting for their next day of strenuous classes, the common room was surprisingly full of young teens chatting away animatedly about this and that. All of the conversation abruptly stopped as the portrait swung closed behind Harry and Hermione.

"Neville, your move," said an impatient voice from by the fire. Harry looked over and saw Ron sitting (or as well as ghosts could sit) in front of a chess set, opposite which sat a wide-eyed Neville. "Are you going to move or –"Ron cut himself off upon realising who had entered the room. "HARRY! HERMIONE!" He shouted and flew across the common room (literally) to greet them.

"Hey Ron," said Hermione with a grin.

"How was...where you were?" Ron asked guardedly. Harry smiled.

"Great," he said. "It was nice to see my folks in real life." There were murmurs of confusion around the room at this. "And I wasn't off fighting Voldemort, I was in 1977," he said to the rest of the room.

"Ron, maybe you, Harry, and I could all go and have a chat somewhere tomorrow, it'd be nice to be able to talk to you without everyone fawning over us," Hermione whispered to the ghost. Ron nodded.

"Well it's great to have you two back. Having Malfoy as Head Boy in your absence was bloody unbearable," he said.

"What?!" shouted Harry. The group that had assembled behind Ron nodded. "Who was Head Girl?"

"Some Ravenclaw," Ron said. "I don't really know who she is." Harry nodded.

"We're really tired, so we'll head up to bed," Hermione said, to which there were groans from the students who were clearly expecting some kind of story.

"Well I'm going to get back to my chess game with Neville, I'll see you guys tomorrow then?"

"Sure thing," said Hermione. Ron floated back over to where Neville was still staring open mouthed and resumed playing.

"It's great to have you back," said Ginny as Harry and Hermione pushed their way through the crowd with their floating trunks.

"Thanks Gin," he said. "We'll let you in on everything tomorrow." Ginny nodded and Harry and Hermione finished squeezing their way through the crowd to the Head Boy and Girl's rooms.

'We should each go in our respective rooms first,' Hermione said silently. 'It's best not to get more rumors than necessary started.'

'Who says they'd be rumors?' asked Harry with a grin. Hermione shook her head and walked into the Head Girl's room. Smiling, Harry followed suit and entered the Head Boy's room. It was just like it had been in the past. The walls were still Gryffindor red, though a little faded. There was still a large, king-sized four poster and a fireplace across from the bed. The shelves were still lined with books, and it was these that Harry busied himself with while waiting for Hermione to come through the door connecting the two rooms.

"Hmmm, most of these are in the library..." he muttered to himself before noticing a book that appeared to be on the wrong shelf. Harry's eyes widened as he read, 'A Guide to Advanced Charms' and quickly turned to page 329. A folded piece of parchment fell out of the book and he quickly picked it up and unfolded it, only to find that it was blank.

"Hey," Hermione said coming through the door. "What's that?"

"You remember what James said right before we left?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. "Well this was in page three twenty-nine, but it's blank." He handed the parchment to Hermione and she examined it quickly before giving a large smile.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she said tapping it with her wand. Immediately a letter appeared on the parchment, which she handed back to Harry.

"You're too brilliant for your own good," he said smiling.

"It wasn't that hard," she said. "The password would've HAD to be something you already knew." Shrugging, Harry began to read the letter aloud.

_Harry and Hermione,_

_If what you've told us is true, then when you actually read this we'll have been dead for nearly 16 years. We wanted to give this letter to you before you left, but James wanted to hide it in the Head Boy's room, to give you a bit of a challenge for when you returned. We want to thank you for helping us find what you two so greatly embody. Whatever happens in the future, you should know that we'll both be looking down on you with smiles, and that we'll do our best to try and protect you no matter what happens. May you both live long, happy lives._

_Yours from eternity,_

_James and Lily _

Both Harry and Hermione wiped tears from their eyes as he finished reading it. Harry folded up the letter neatly and put it on the bedside table.

"I really miss them," he said.

"Me too," Hermione responded. "They're not even part of my family and I still feel like I've lost someone very close." Harry put his arm around the girl next to him.

"Well assuming all goes well they will be a part of your family someday," he said smiling. The two of them laid down on the bed, and Hermione put her head on Harry's chest.

"You know, part of me wishes that we could go back," she said sadly.

"Yeah," said Harry. "But we have important things to take care of. I still owe Ron someone's wand."

"And I'm sure you'll get it," Hermione said before the two of them drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Two quick notes, first the issue of the Catoblepas and Sagin. Not true. I made it up for this story. If any of you wants the REAL low down on those creatures, visit Encyclopedia Mythica, the bestiary section.

Second, I know I didn't come right out and say that everyone who knew the truth about Harry and Hermione was memory charmed, but they were. So no, 'Hey does McGonagal remember about them?'.

Well there it is. They're back in the future, and now we can get some good old fashioned conflict going. Most of the questions will be answered next chapter, so no worries there. This being chapter fourteen, I'm estimating there will be another 7 or 8 chapters left. You can expect an update at the usual time next week. Until then, au revoir.


	15. The Heart's Desire

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(Note that's only Portkey, not FF)

Smut. It is the lifeforce of all the great ships out there. Some of you took the time to read the second smut piece I wrote, this time it was a challenge from HeatherSinclar on PK. It's chapter 3 of Pine Fresh: A Prefect's Tale, and it received reasonably good reviews. My first was a little better, looking back on it, but hopefully my third (expect it sometime this month) should beat the both of them easily.

As for this story, after much deliberation and careful consideration, there will a combined total of either 21 or 22 chapters. I want to get this story planned out and set in stone, so I don't have to do spur of the moment writing like I did for the past 4 chapters (and this one). So, without further ado, I present you with chapter 15.

And I'm sorry that this chapter is a little late, along with being short. My muse decided to take a poorly-timed vacation and it took me a few days to get her arse back here.

Oh one other note, go read my story on PK. They don't reformat my writing automatically like FF does.

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Chapter 15: The Heart's Desire

When Harry woke the next morning it took him a minute to remember that he was back in 1997; only when he saw the letter from his parents on the nightstand did he remember where (or when) he was. Slowly, he made to reach for it, but a hand from beside him stopped his.

"It won't bring them back," Hermione said softly. Harry withdrew his hand and put in on her cheek.

"I know," he said. "It's just hard to wake up and know that they're not here for me to talk to anymore."

"I'm here," she said. "I always will be."

"And for that, I'm forever grateful," Harry said kissing her softly, when a shout from outside the door startled them.

"Hey!" Ron yelled. "Harry, get up! Hermione's not in her room, she's probably already gone down to breakfast. C'mon I'm starving!"

"You can't eat, Ron," Harry reminded him.

"Make sure to apply pressure when rubbing the salt in," Ron deadpanned.

"Does he actually think that I'm not in here?" Hermione whispered as she got out of the bed. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno. Let him find out the hard way." Hermione giggled at this as Harry put on his pants. Once they were both dressed Harry opened the door and let Hermione go through first, making sure to watch Ron's expression the entire way.

"Hi Ron," she said cheerfully. "Is Ginny around? I thought we could have that conversation after breakfast, it being a Saturday and all."

"Yeah," said Ron. "She's down at breakfast right now, though I daresay you'll be able to pull her out of there. She's fawning over some boy and I've been having trouble getting through to her."

"We'll manage," said Harry as he followed Hermione down the stairs to the common room.

"And I thought she was already at breakfast," Ron mumbled behind Harry. "I'm bloody daft..."

The three of them made their way down to the Great Hall, where upon arrival, the room went silent.

"Ah, I knew I forgot to mention something," said Dumbledore standing up. "Mr. Potter and Miss Granger have safely returned from their journey and will now continue in their everyday classes with you. That is all." With that, the headmaster sat back down and the rest of the student body continued conversing, shooting occasional looks and Harry and Hermione.

"Hey Ginny," said Harry sitting down opposite her, Hermione next to him. Ginny didn't respond. "Hello?" The youngest Weasley had a glazed over look in her eyes as she stared absently off into space.

"See, I told you, she's been like this for a few weeks now," Ron said floating down next to her. "GINNY!"

"What?!" she shouted, extremely startled. "Oh, hey, guys."

"Are you okay, Ginny?" asked Hermione.

"I'm fine," she replied hastily. "How about you two?"

"We're okay," said Harry. "But we'd like to know what's happened while we were gone, and I daresay you two will want to hear what happened to us, so how about let's eat then go for a walk around the lake?"

"Sounds great to me," said Ginny tucking into her food.

"Now if only I could join in on the 'eating' part," Ron whined.

After breakfast was over, the four of them made their way down onto the grounds. The day seemed to reflect Harry's mood: slightly cloudy. They all seemed too lost in their own thoughts to initiate conversation, so after five minutes of pointless silence, Hermione spoke up.

"So what happened on the train?" she asked, referring to the day that she and Harry had been transported into the past.

"When the death eaters realised you two were gone.....well, they got angry," Ginny said bowing her head. "They destroyed two whole compartments before Ron managed to fight them off." Hermione clasped her hand to her mouth, Harry ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.

"How many were killed?" he asked not looking up.

"About twenty," Ron said. "Another fifty or so had to be taken to St. Mungo's for injuries."

"Twenty?" Harry breathed, eyes wide.

"Anyone we know?" asked Hermione fearing the answer.

"No," Ron replied. Harry and Hermione let out the breaths they had been unconsciously holding. "Only five Gryffindors were killed, all of whom were fourth years in the same compartment."

"What about the other houses?" asked Harry.

"What about them?" asked Ginny.

"Did anyone from other houses we know die?" he reiterated.

"No, but I heard Pansy Parkinson was severely injured," Ron said. "She wasn't even in school until about two weeks ago." Harry nodded in understanding.

"What about after the train?" asked Hermione. "Did anything happen while we were gone?" At this, Ron and Ginny exchanged nervous glances.

".....yes," said Ginny after a moment of silence.

"I take it it's bad news?" Hermione asked. Ron and Ginny nodded. "Well what happened?" Ron sighed.

"Well the death eaters failed to get you two," Ron said. "And apparently Voldemort was none too pleased. Two days later..." Ron trailed off.

"What?" asked Harry.

"They destroyed your house, Hermione," Ginny whispered. Hermione and Harry froze in their tracks, and Ron and Ginny stopped a little ways in front of them. "And I don't mean just destroyed. They obliterated it. There was even some damage to the houses around yours from the blast."

"It...it's gone?" Hermione whispered. Ron nodded. "Just like that?" Another nod. Harry wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry into his chest.

"How'd it happen?" he asked.

"Dunno," said Ron. "The Order said that they used some kind of spell, but couldn't figure out what it was because of all the destruction."

"I...I lived there all my life," Hermione said into Harry's cloak. "And now it's....just gone."

"There's more," said Ron. "The Order found a note in the wreckage. It was on top of the debris when Dumbledore arrived there." Hermione looked up at this.

"What'd it say?" she asked, wiping her tears away.

"_We'll get her yet_," said Ginny softly. At this, Harry's arms tightened around Hermione as her eyes widened.

"So, all of it...the train, my house...all of it was because they were after me?" she asked. Ron nodded solemnly.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of," said Harry softly.

"Don't you dare start that argument again," said Hermione, still crying. "It's not your fault."

"Well if you weren't with me then they wouldn't have been trying to get you," Harry said.

"They'd go after me just for being your friend," she sniffled.

"She's right, mate," Ron said. "Look at me, I got killed, but you don't see me going to bed with you every night, do you?" This statement caused smiles to appear on the faces of Harry and Hermione, despite the sad mood.

"All right," Harry said. "Anything else happen?"

"Nah, just the usual. Filch is still grumpy as ever – oh and speaking of grumpy, Snape's been extra malicious lately, so watch your backs," Ron said. At this Harry and Hermione exchanged an awkward glance.

"What?" Asked Ginny seeing the looks of amusement on Harry and Hermione's faces.

"Let's have a seat," Harry said nodding towards their favorite tree. "We've got a lot to talk about." The four of them made their way over to the tree and sat down. Ron and Ginny listened intently as Harry and Hermione told them everything that happened while they were in 1977. Neither Ron nor Ginny could suppress their laughter at hearing about Tonks playing for the Gryffindor quidditch team.

"I hope she's a lot more agile in the air than she is on the ground," Ron snorted.

"She is," Harry replied. "Saved my arse in the match we played."

"You got to play Quidditch with your parents," Ginny said laughing. "Did James live up to his hype?"

"He got hit by a bludger early on in the match," Hermione said. "Harry took over for him after he went to the hospital wing."

"Hey, speaking of quidditch, we need you back on the team," Ron said. "Luckily the first match was Ravenclaw versus Slytherin, so we haven't had a chance to do badly yet."

"Who replaced us?" Harry asked Ron.

"I was taking over as seeker while you were gone," Ginny said. "But the two chasers we got were horrible. We really need to find some talent for this team or we're toast."

"Yeah," said Ron. "McGonagal made me honorary coach of the team, but we've got nothing without you." Harry nodded. "So tell us, did you guys complete the animagus training?" Hermione and Harry shared a quick glance.

"After you dear," said Hermione with a wave of her hand. Shrugging, Harry transformed himself into his Sagin form, earning an startled oath from Ron.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" he shouted, stumbling backwards through the air. Harry cocked his head down at Hermione and pawed at the ground softly. Getting the hint, she turned into her form of the small, long-haired cat and jumped into Ginny's lap.

"Awww, you're so cute!" Ginny exclaimed, patting Hermione. Quickly she jumped out of her lap and transformed back into herself.

"That's enough of that, thank you," Hermione said brushing herself off as Harry turned back into himself.

"Harry, that's brilliant!" exclaimed Ron. "Now you can eat Malfoy!" Hermione and Ginny gave him disapproving looks at this.

"Don't say stuff like that, Ron," his sister said.

"I wouldn't dream of putting something so foul in my mouth anyway," Harry responded with a laugh.

"No worries, I'd probably be dead from your breath before you could sink your teeth into me," came an all-too familiar sneer from behind them. Turning, Harry saw Malfoy walking by them, curiously enough, alone.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," said Ginny. Surprisingly, he simply shrugged and continued on his path towards the school.

"That was odd," Ron said. "When has Malfoy ever left us alone?"

"Never," replied Harry. "So what now?"

"Well I'm going to head back in," Ginny said. "I've got some studying for a potions exam I need to do."

"I can help you with that," Hermione said standing up, but Ginny shook her head.

"It's okay Hermione, I've already got a really good study partner," she said. "Not that you aren't better, of course."

"Oh...well, okay," Hermione said, slightly downcast. Ginny walked off, leaving the three of them alone.

"Well what are we going to do now?" asked Ron. The three of them thought for a moment, when Harry snapped his fingers.

"I've got an idea," he said standing up.

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"You'll see. Come on, I need to go get two things for this." Hermione looked at Ron who shrugged, and the two of them followed Harry off towards the castle.

They arrived in the Head Boy's room five minutes later, and Harry immediately opened his trunk and pulled out the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said tapping his wand to it. The map revealed itself, and he gave it to Hermione. "Show Ron," he said searching through his trunk for something else. Ron laughed when he saw the change in the map.

"Paws?" he asked. Harry shrugged.

"It was the best we could come up with," he said, still searching through his trunk.

"You'll have to show Fred and George, they'll go nutters," he said.

"I'm sure they will. Here it is," Harry said standing up holding his invisibility cloak. "Come on, let's go."

"You still haven't told us where we're going," Hermione reminded him.

"Just trust me, it'll be fun," Harry said. "Now come on." Sighing, Hermione complied and walked over to him. Ron floated halfway into the floor and under the cloak, so that it would still cover all three of them. Slowly, they made their way down out of the Head Boy's room and Gryffindor Tower, and a few minutes later found themselves on the third floor.

"What're we doing here?" Ron asked as Harry scanned the map and directed them to take a left.

"Wait and watch."

All of a sudden they found themselves in front of an old oak door, and Hermione turned to Harry with a smile.

"We're clear," he said taking the cloak off. "No one's around."

"So why here?" Hermione asked.

"I thought it might be amusing," Harry responded.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" asked Ron who had floated out of the ground and was now hovering next to them.

"Do me a favor Ron, go through this door and tell me what's inside?" Harry asked.

"Fine, but I better find out what's going on when I come back." Ron floated through the door while Harry and Hermione stood waiting outside. "There's nothing in here," his voice shouted. "Except.....ohhhhhhh."

With a quick 'Alohamora,' from Hermione, the door unlocked and they found themselves inside a vast empty chamber.

"I wonder where Hagrid put him..." wondered Harry as he walked over to the trap door and yanked it open.

"Probably in the forest somewhere," Hermione said.

"Reckon the devil's snare is still down there?" asked Ron, peering down into the darkness.

"I doubt it," said Hermione. "It only has a lifespan of five or so years, and that one was already mature."

"So how do you two get down there?" asked Ron. "I can float, but you two can't get down as easily."

"Conjurus," said Harry and immediately a thick rope appeared on the floor in front of them. Grabbing one end of it, he shouted, 'Adhesio!' and immediately it was fixed onto a spot on the floor, as if it had been welded there.

"I taught you good, didn't I?" asked Hermione with a smile.

"You taught me _well_," Harry corrected. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him but smiled all the same.

"Come on you guys, I don't have all day!" shouted Ron from down below the trap door having already descended into its depths.

"Ladies first," Harry said, and Hermione grabbed the rope and slid down through the trap door, followed closely by Harry.

They slid down to the bottom, and sure enough, the devil's snare that had once occupied that space 6 years ago, was gone.

"Brings back memories, being here," Ron said looking around.

"Sure does," Harry said as Hermione helped brush him off. They walked over to the door and opened it, entering the room that once held the flying keys.

"Those brooms were absolutely terrible," Ron said, remembering their short flight to catch the key with the broken wing.

"You flew admirably," Harry said to Hermione. She nudged him in the arm playfully.

"I haven't been on a broom since," she admitted. "That entire flight I thought I was going to crash."

"Still, though, you'd be a great flyer if you tried." Hermione snorted and they walked over to the next door, and entered the room that housed the giant chess set.

The only problem was that the chess set was still there.

"Oh, bollocks," said Harry. "And I really wanted to see the room where I fought Quirrell again."

"Who says we have to go back?" asked Ron with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"No," said Hermione simply. "Absolutely not, not in a hundred years will I go through another game of giant wizard's chess."

"Oh come on," Ron said whining. "How about this, I'll let you be the king, so they can't hurt you."

"What about Harry?" she asked.

"Queen?" suggested Ron. Harry laughed and shook his head.

"No, if we're doing this, we're going to do it the right way. I'm a bishop."

"And I'm a knight," Ron said with a huge grin on his face. Hermione sighed and shook her head.

"I guess that means I'm a castle," she said, defeated.

"That's the spirit!" Ron whooped. Hearing them, the same three chess pieces that they had occupied the spaces of all those years ago moved over for them once again. Once they were in place, the king's pawn on the white side moved forward two spaces.

"The beauty of this game, especially when controlled like this," Ron said. "Is that humans can get better. The intelligence of the pieces stays the same." How very true that was. It took Ron only ten minutes to win the game, and this time none of them had gotten taken.

"See now, that wasn't so bad," he said as they moved onward through the next door.

"Except for the part where Harry would've gotten captured if I hadn't pointed out to you that his pawn was pinned," Hermione said with her arms crossed.

"Well I'm okay, so no harm done," Harry said putting an arm around her.

"Honestly, you're as bad as Ron sometimes," she said.

"I am right here you know," the ghost said as he floated across the empty chamber. "What was in here?"

"A troll," Harry said. "Quirrell knocked it out before we arrived here, so we didn't have to deal with it."

"Like the one that we saved Hermione from?" he asked.

"Bigger," she replied. "And more foul-smelling." Ron grunted his disgust as they passed through the doorway into a room that contained only a long, barren, table.

"And here?" he asked.

"Snape's trial," Harry said, remembering it all too well. "I have Hermione to thank for that one."

"What was it?" Ron asked.

"There were black flames preventing us from going forward, and purple from going back," Hermione said. "Seven bottles on this table, each containing something. Three were poison, two were wine, and the other two got us through the purple and black flames respectively."

"So you figured out which was which?" Ron asked, bemused. Hermione blushed slightly and nodded.

"Why have we never talked about this before?" Harry asked as they walked into the final chamber.

"Dunno, I guess after we won the house cup, no one thought to ask because we were all so happy about beating Slytherin," Ron said. "Bloody hell, is that...?" He voice faded away as Harry and Hermione looked in the direction that Ron was gaping at.

"It's still here? After all these years?" asked Harry walking towards the mirror and looking up at it with a small smile.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, examining the writing on the frame.

"The Mirror of Erised," Harry responded, causing Hermione to gasp.

"I've heard about this," she said looking at it. "It –"

"We know what it does, Hermione," said Ron interrupting her. "Harry found it in a room near the library in our first year."

"What's it doing here then?" she asked.

"It was how Dumbledore hid the stone," Harry said. "Only one who wanted to find the stone, find it, but not use it, would be able to get it," he quoted. "Dumbledore said it was one of his more brilliant ideas."

"Naturally," said Hermione. "Anyone who would go through those trials just to get the stone would have to want to use it. Unless it was us," she added grinning.

"Well go on then Ron, have a look," Harry said. "Might as well while we're here." Ron shrugged and floated in front of the mirror, staring for a second before his mouth fell open slightly as ghostly tears formed in his eyes.

"Ron?" asked Hermione tentatively. The ghost reached out and touched the mirror, tears falling freely down his face.

"Ron..." said Harry softly as the realisation hit him.

"What's he see?" whispered Hermione.

"I'm guessing it's Luna," replied Harry in an equally low voice. Hermione brought her hand to her mouth as they watched Ron mouth 'I'm sorry,' over and over again at the mirror.

"Ron, maybe you should look away," she said after a few minutes. Ron slowly nodded and floated away from the mirror over into the corner of the room, where he attempted to regain his composure.

'What about you?' asked Harry silently. Hermione looked up at him.

'You're all I could ever want,' she responded.

'Are you sure?' he asked. Hermione nodded. 'Okay. But I still want to look.' Again, she nodded and Harry stepped in front of the mirror, the sniffles of Ron the only noise in the room.

Just like in his first year, Harry was again surrounded by his family. Lily and James beaming down at him and Hermione from either side of them – wait, when did Hermione become part of his family?

Sure enough, there they were, Harry and Hermione surrounded by generations of Potters, some of which looked young enough to be his children. Glancing at Hermione's left hand, which was intertwined with his, he saw a simple, diamond engagement ring, accompanied with a gold wedding band.

'Is that really what you see?' Hermione asked, having read his thoughts. Harry nodded.

'I thought I was going to see the death of Voldemort, or something of the sort,' he replied silently. 'But a family with you....'

'A bit more than you expected?' she asked.

'A lot more,' Harry replied. 'Although...it doesn't really surprise me that much.' Hermione embraced him as he continued to stare into the mirror at his family. A minute later Ron came back over from the corner.

"Sorry about that, guys," he said wiping his eyes.

"Not at all," said Harry. "You ready to head back?"

"Sure," said Ron. The three of them made their way to the doorway that led to the potion room. With one last glance at the mirror, and the room where his journey had really begun all those years ago, Harry stepped out of the room and continued on back towards the trap door.

After that, everything went back to normal. The school pretty much seemed to have accepted that nothing drastic had happened to Harry and Hermione, and although they received more stares than usual, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

Harry had to admit, Krum was a hell of a Defense Against Dark Arts teacher. He had personally expressed his relief to him and Hermione after their return had been announced. During his classes, he taught them spells with such a professional manner, it was hard to tell he was once the seventeen year-old boy that caught a snitch in front of 100,000 strong and asked Hermione to the Yule Ball a few months later.

All of a sudden, Harry found himself ready to head back to Grimmauld Place with Hermione and Ron for the holidays. Their last period of the day before they were to board the Hogwarts Express was Defense, and Krum had just finished teaching them about the supereffects of the sleeper jinx, and how its only practical use was in law enforcement to render criminals unconscious, much like the stunner. The difference was that it didn't cause the same physical harm as the latter.

"A foot on the sleeper jinx and its uses in historically important captures," Krum said as the bell signaled the end of class. Harry, Ron, and Hermione bade goodbye to their teacher for the holidays, and walked out of the room, only to run into a very disgruntled Snape.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for not watching where you're going, Potter!" he yelled.

"I didn't see you there, _professor_," Harry said acidly.

"Well, keep your eyes open. You don't want to end up like your father and not see a bludger hit you in the back of your head." With that he stormed off leaving Harry there with his mouth open.

"What the..." Ron began, but Harry and Hermione had already hurried off towards Dumbledore's office. "Hey wait for me!"

By the time Ron caught up with them, Harry and Hermione were already at the gargoyle. Upon gaining entrance, they went up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the voice of the headmaster. The three of them entered, and a smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. "Ahh, what can I do for you three today?"

"Does Snape remember what happened in 1977?" Harry asked, not wasting any time. At this, Dumbledore sighed and nodded.

"What?" asked Hermione, shocked. "I thought you said that you memory charmed everyone who knew!"

"I memory charmed everyone who knew _the truth_," the headmaster said. "People such as Professor Snape, Madam Pomfrey, and Madam Hooch all figured out what had happened when you disappeared back in September, although I daresay Snape probably knew since your first year, hence his animosity towards you, Harry. You can ask them about it if you like."

"So that's why he hates me so much..." Harry said miserably.

"More than likely," replied Albus. "Even though your little trick with the snowballs was quite amusing."

"You knew about that?" Hermione asked.

"I told you once that I try to make it a personal goal of mine to know everything that goes on in this school," he replied with a smile. "Do not think that the Polyjuice Potion you brewed in your second year went unnoticed by me either, as you've suspected all these years."

"But Professor, if you knew, then why not stop us?" Hermione asked referring to the Polyjuice. "We must've been breaking dozens of school rules."

"Sometimes rules are better broken if in the end we gain more wisdom," the headmaster said. "For example, Fudge would have benefitted greatly if he had done as I advised at the end of your fourth year, but he didn't, and remained ignorant because of it." Harry nodded at this.

"So who else knows?" he asked.

"Tonks," came the reply. "She's waiting until you arrive at Grimmauld Place before she brings it up, however."

"All right," said Harry running his hand through his hair. "Well, I guess we'll be going then." The three of them turned to leave and were at the door when Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"Sometimes you'll find that asking for forgiveness is the easiest way to obtain it," the headmaster said. "Ask Miss Weasley if you have any doubts about that." The three of them stood there with their brows furrowed until Ron spoke.

"You mean my sister, right?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded. "Who did she need forgiveness from?"

"I will say nothing concerning the matter," he replied. "You will find out when you are meant to." With that, the three teens left the headmaster's office and made their way back to the Gryffindor common room, very confused.

That night after dinner, Ron had gone up to the dorm to get some rest, (which raised an eyebrow from Harry; Ron seemed perfectly awake to him) leaving Harry and Hermione to their own devices in the Head Boy's room.

"What do you think Dumbledore meant by 'the best way to obtain forgiveness is to ask for it'," Hermione asked. Harry shrugged.

"He probably meant that I might be able to get Snape to forgive me if I apologise," he suggested.

"What about Ginny?"

"What about her?" Harry replied.

"Well there's obviously something going with her that Dumbledore wants us to find out about," she said. "Why else would he mention it?"

"Do you think it has to do with that crush of hers?" Harry asked.

"There's no way to tell, considering we don't even know who she's pining over," Hermione replied. Harry sighed.

"Well considering we have the whole night ahead of us before the holiday, what do you want to do?" he asked suggestively. Hermione smiled and got out of bed. "Hey!"

"Since we're Head Boy and Girl," she said walking over to Harry's trunk and retrieving the Marauder's Map from it, "We need to make the rounds and tell people off for snogging in broom closets."

"Are you sure we can't just catch ourselves snogging here and be done with it?" Harry asked playfully. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him but grinned anyway.

"Positive," she said. "Let's go." With a groan, Harry got up from the bed and followed Hermione out of Gryffindor Tower into the hall. After the first few telling-offs, Hermione sighed.

"They never learn," she said shaking her head. "And they know I have to take points from them for doing it."

"Well what if it was us?" Harry asked. "And the only way we could be together was in a broom closet?"

"Somehow I think that we could be more resourceful than that," Hermione said, not moving her gaze from the map. "The Astronomy Tower, perhaps."

"Nah," said Harry. "Overused. Seamus once said he had been caught four times up there with Parvati." Hermione shrugged and they continued on until something on map caught Harry's attention. "Hey, what's that?" he asked squinting in the dim light. Hermione brought the map closer to her face so she could read it, and her eyes widened when she saw the names of the two people who were alone in the Room of Requirement.

"Should we check it out?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Yes," said Hermione after a moment. "One, they're breaking rules just like everyone else. Two, I'm going to need to see this to believe it." Harry nodded and they set off at a quick pace for the seventh floor.

When they arrived, they saw that the door was already there, proof that it was occupied.

"You open it," Harry said. "I don't want to be the first person they see." Hermione nodded and extended a shaking hand to the doorknob.

"I can't believe he'd to this," she said without opening the door.

"Let's just get it over with," Harry said. Giving one last sigh, Hermione pulled the door open.

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BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Like I said, my muse was on vacation and came back, although she was quite angry, thus the cliffie. Sorry to keep you all hanging like that, and I'll just give you this one little clue: It's not as big a surprise as one might think. With that in mind, you may expect Chapter 16 on TUESDAY, not Wednesday as this one was. Auf Wiedersehen bis naechstes Mal (let's see how many of you understand that one, considering I probably made an error in the word placement).


	16. Problem Solving

Oh well, you guys are all too smart for me. Not that I was putting effort into concealing who Harry and Hermione are about to walk in on. Seven....no wait, I have incoming e-mail.....eight. Eight people came right out and guessed correctly on the first try. Kudos to you guys.  
  
And then, just as soon as I sat down to write this chapter, my muse threw a bludger at my head and started yelling at me for making the comment about how there are only going to be 21 or 22 chapters. As I realised shortly thereafter, it's only Christmas holiday in the story right now, whereas the final chapter of the story will include the graduation from Hogwarts. Thus my dilemma. Since I don't want this story to be of the same quality of TTAC, I'm probably going to have to throw in an extra chapter, just stretch the timeline out a little bit. I can see the people complaining now (yeah right ::snicker::) I don't have a whole lot else to blab on this time, so let's keep the story going.  
  
Oh, and go read my story on PK, I like having my reviews over there, not to mention that they don't screw with my intended format as much.  
  
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Chapter 16: Problem Solving  
  
True to the Marauder's Map, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley were snogging on what looked to be a very comfortable bed as Harry and Hermione stepped in to the Room of Requirement. Seeing that they hadn't noticed the presence of the Head Boy and Girl, Hermione cleared her throat very loudly, causing the teens to jump up, startled.  
  
"Oh, balls," Ginny said paling.  
  
"You know," Hermione said. "I'm not entirely sure whether I should be relieved or ill."  
  
"You could leave us alone and pretend you never saw us here," Draco suggested, though there were traces of fear in his voice.  
  
"Or not," Harry retorted, closing the door. "How about we all talk about how this happened?"  
  
"I don't answer to you, Potter," came the response.  
  
"I could just take fifty points from Slytherin and give you detention," Harry said shrugging.  
  
"Well you'd have to do the same for Ginny, wouldn't you?" Draco said smirking. "And you wouldn't take points from your own house."  
  
"But you know I will," Hermione interjected. "So instead of bickering about it let's sit down and talk like rational people." Draco snorted at this, but Ginny's pleading look caused his expression to soften.  
  
"Fine," he said sighing.  
  
"Good," Harry said, having the room conjure two chairs for him and Hermione. "How did this happen?" Draco and Ginny exchanged a nervous glance at this question, it was easy to tell that neither of them felt comfortable answering it.  
  
"Sometime today," said Hermione impatiently.  
  
"It started the day the Hogwarts Express was attacked," Ginny said softly.  
  
"Ginny!" exclaimed Draco.  
  
"What?" she asked throwing him a furtive glance. "It's better if they know the truth."  
  
"I don't trust them," he replied.  
  
"But I do," came Ginny's reply. "And now that they know about us we need their help." Running his hand through his hair, Draco sighed and nodded.  
  
"The day Hermione and I went back in time?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded. "How?"  
  
"When the death eaters started blowing up the compartments, I was thrown from the train," Ginny said.  
  
"What?!" shouted Harry. "Why didn't you tell us about this? Why didn't Ron tell us about this?"  
  
"Because she didn't want anyone to know," Draco sneered. "I would've thought that was obvious."  
  
"Ron didn't know?" asked Harry incredulously. Ginny nodded.  
  
"Well how did you manage to keep that fact from him?" Hermione asked.  
  
"You should know about the defence systems that the Hogwarts Express has, Hermione," Ginny said. "When the death eaters attacked, the train automatically locked down. Ron was preoccupied with trying to drive them away, and so didn't see me get thrown."  
  
"So how did you get back on the train?" Harry asked.  
  
"I saw all of this happen," Draco said. "When Ginny was thrown from the train, I got on my broom and went and to go save her."  
  
"That doesn't explain how you got back on the train unnoticed," Hermione said. "The train speeds up in the event of attack. You couldn't catch it even on a Firebolt."  
  
"Dumbledore isn't the only one who knows how to create illegal portkeys," Ginny said shyly. Hermione's jaw dropped at this.  
  
"So you mean to tell me," she said. "That you created an unregistered Portkey, somehow managed to land back on the train while it was moving who knows how fast, and all the while did so while keeping everyone else oblivious to it?" Draco shrugged.  
  
"Let's not forget that I am second only to you in grades, Granger," he said simply.  
  
"All right," said Harry. "But that still doesn't explain how....this happened."  
  
"Having someone save your life can change your views of a person, Harry," Ginny said.  
  
"But I saved your life, and if anything your feelings for me decreased after that," he replied.  
  
"Yes, but you're Harry Potter, Savior of the World," Draco said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Me, I don't care about anyone else. I even surprised myself a bit when I went to save Ginny." She nodded at this.  
  
"So you thought, 'hell, let's give snogging a try'?" Harry asked icily.  
  
"I thought you knew me better than that, Potter," Draco replied. "I wouldn't touch someone I didn't care for. No, in the past three months, I've come to experience something I never had before."  
  
"Oh yeah?" asked Harry skeptically. "Why don't you tell us what that is." Draco looked at him.  
  
"You know what it is, Potter."  
  
"Of course I do, but I want to hear you say it, so that if you hurt Ginny later I have an excuse to kill you," Harry replied simply.  
  
"Fine, it's love! Are you happy?!" Draco shouted furiously. Harry and Hermione regarded him carefully.  
  
"Do you believe him, Ginny?" Hermione asked. Slowly, the red-haired girl nodded.  
  
"Okay," said Harry after a moment. "So what are we going to do about this?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Well, you need to tell Ron about this," Harry said. "Probably Molly, too."  
  
"No!" came the shout, not from Ginny, but Draco, to Harry and Hermione's surprise. "No one can find out about this."  
  
"And why not?" asked Hermione, crossing her arms. For the first time that Harry had ever seen, Draco looked terrified.  
  
"I....I...." he stammered.  
  
"Lucius will kill him," Ginny whispered.  
  
"I highly doubt that you would be killed by your own father, no matter how demented he is," Harry said.  
  
"He would," replied Draco finding his voice. "He's threatened me with death if I ever disgraced the family."  
  
"You know that's not a very nice thing to say about Ginny," Hermione said.  
  
"It's alright," Ginny interjected. "He didn't mean anything by it."  
  
"You're telling us the truth?" Harry asked.  
  
"Why would I lie about something like this?" Draco asked sincerely.  
  
"Why would you lie to Rita Skeeter in fourth year?" Hermione countered.  
  
"Because of daft comments like that," he replied icily. "But you don't joke when it comes to the person you care about." Harry looked at Hermione after this.  
  
'What do you think?' he asked silently.  
  
'I believe him,' came the reply. 'Although we definitely need to keep him under close watch.'  
  
'Agreed,' Harry said, nodding. "Alright, we won't tell anyone about you two." Ginny and Draco both looked extremely relieved at this. "But I think that at least Ron should know."  
  
"Why?" asked Ginny.  
  
"What if it had been him walking in on you with Hermione instead of me?" Harry asked, shrugging. "I promise you he wouldn't have been so cooperative." Ginny and Draco exchanged a glance at this.  
  
"We'll think about it," Draco said.  
  
"That's a start," Hermione said. "Now let's all head back to our houses to get some sleep." The four of them got up and walked out of the Room of Requirement, whereupon Hermione stopped in the hall. "Oh, and ten points from Slytherin and Gryffindor for snogging out in the castle after hours."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me," said Malfoy.  
  
"I don't care who you are," Hermione said with her best McGonagal impression. "No one is above the rules." With that Draco stalked off towards the Slytherin common room muttering something like, 'typical'.  
  
The next day Harry, Ron, and Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express for the Christmas holiday, though with some trepidation.  
  
"You don't reckon there'll be another attack, do you?" Ron asked as the train started up.  
  
"I doubt it," Hermione said. "What with Professors McGonagal and Snape riding the train with us, even if we are attacked, we should be able to at least defend ourselves this time."  
  
"Glad to see you're so optimistic," Ron said sarcastically.  
  
"Expect the worst, hope for the best," Harry muttered.  
  
"Yeah, well...d'you want to play a game of Exploding Snap?" Ron asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Sure," Harry replied.  
  
The time flew by as fast as the English countryside, and suddenly the dimpled woman opened their compartment door asking if they would like anything off the trolley. Harry decided only to get some chocolate frogs, and dumped a dozen or so on the seat next to Ron.  
  
"You're a git, you know that?" Ron asked. "Buying my favorite sweet when you know bloody well I can't eat."  
  
"Well, I've got a consolation prize for you," Harry said staring at the chocolate frog card.  
  
"What?" asked Ron, crossing his arms.  
  
"Ptolemy," Harry replied tossing the card over to the ghost, which landed next to him. "The only one you don't have."  
  
"You're giving this to me?" Ron asked, slack-jawed.  
  
"It's the least I can do for my best friend," he replied smiling.  
  
"I've got to go find Ginny and tell her," Ron said floating through the compartment door.  
  
"He's so easy," Harry said grinning. "You don't think he'll walk in on her and Malfoy, do you?"  
  
"No," replied Hermione not looking up from her book. "It's too public, they'd risk getting caught." Smiling, Harry snatched the book from Hermione's hands. "Hey!" she complained. "I was reading that."  
  
"I can think of something better to do that reading," he said putting the book down beside him. "Besides, I'm sure you've read...bloody hell! 'Hogwarts, A History' again?!" Harry exclaimed, noticing what Hermione had been reading.  
  
"It's a good read," she said.  
  
"Well, let's do something other than read for the two minutes that Ron isn't here," Harry said sliding close to her and kissing her neck softly.  
  
"You make a strong argument, Mr. Potter," Hermione said with a smile.  
  
"I learned from you," he answered. Hermione pulled him away from her neck and the two of them began to kiss passionately until a voice broke their solitude a few moments later.  
  
"Must you two always be at it when I leave you alone?" Ron asked floating through the door.  
  
"It's not like you and Luna didn't do the same," Hermione said irritably. "Oh, Ron I'm sorry," she added quickly seeing the look on his face.  
  
"Forget it," he said shaking his head. "Just forgive me if it takes me a while to get over her death."  
  
"We don't expect you to get over it," Harry said. "I'd be surprised if you did."  
  
"Yeah, but I should at least learn to not break down when someone mentions her name," Ron replied.  
  
"Don't you remember what it was like with me and Sirius?" asked Harry. "That entire summer none of you could even talk to me. I think you've handled all of this much more admirably than I did." This made Ron smile slightly.  
  
"Thanks," he said, as Neville knocked on the door of the compartment. "Come in, Neville."  
  
"Hi, guys," he said poking his head in. "Just wanted to let you know that Snape is checking compartments, so just be ready."  
  
"What's he doing that for?" asked Ron. Neville shrugged.  
  
"Probably trying to catch someone breaking rules," he said. "Anyways I'm going to warn Dean and Seamus, I think they're farther down the train."  
  
"Thanks for the heads up, Neville," Harry said.  
  
"Anytime." With that Neville closed the door and continued down the car.  
  
Sure enough, a few minutes later Snape opened the door to the compartment and looked inside, scanning the small room quickly then leaving. Deciding that sooner was better than later, Harry got up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.  
  
"To act on that advice from Dumbledore," Harry replied. "I'll be back in a few." With that he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, where Snape was trying to catch rule-breakers a little way down.  
  
"Professor?" he asked as Snape closed the door of the compartment he was checking. The potions master didn't turn, but merely stood with his back turned to Harry, not moving.  
  
"What do you want, Potter?" he asked venomously.  
  
"Well...I...er, wanted to apologise," Harry said hesitantly. At this, Snape turned to face him. "What my father and I did in the past was inappropriate and childish, and I'm sorry for it." Snape crossed his arms. "And...er, yeah...that's about all I had rehearsed." Seeing that he wasn't going to get a response from Snape anytime soon, Harry turned slowly and made his way back to his compartment, leaving his potions teacher slightly confused in the hall.  
  
"How'd it go?" Ron asked at he sat down.  
  
"Not sure," Harry said shrugging. "I mean, I think he was listening to me, but he just stood there with his arms crossed the entire time. After he didn't answer me I just came back here."  
  
"I suppose it could've gone worse," Hermione said, reading 'Hogwarts, A History' once again.  
  
"I suppose," said Harry.  
  
The rest of the train ride was spent with Harry and Ron coming up with as many ways as they could think of to annoy Voldemort, thought Hermione gave her input once or twice.  
  
"I still think that giving his personal contact information to Rita Skeeter was the best one," Hermione said as they got off the train. "Although the one that Ron had about throwing biscuits at him constantly was funny."  
  
"You're only saying that because you thought of it," Ron said. "Biscuits are much funnier than that old cow any day."  
  
"You two really aren't going to row about something as trivial as this, are you?" Harry asked tiredly as they stepped through the barrier to get out into the muggle area of King's Cross Station.  
  
"I suppose not," said Ron, although there was a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "There's Mum." Mrs. Weasley was standing on what looked to be her tip-toes, scanning the crowd for the four people she was to be taking back to Grimmauld Place.  
  
"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" the matriarch of the Weasley clan shouted. "Where's Ginny?"  
  
"Right here!" came the shout from beside the trio, which caused Harry to nearly stumble over his trolley. Ginny looked at him curiously.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't see you there."  
  
"Well, let's get a move on then, shall we?" asked Molly coming over to them. "We only have one car this time, so we'll all have to fit."  
  
"It's just you here to pick us up?" asked Hermione looking around. "Isn't that risky?"  
  
"Come now," Molly said reprovingly. "Of course not. Alastor's following us right now, and Tonks is going to accompany us on the way to the house." The four of them made to turn and look to see if Moody actually was following them, but Molly stopped them. "Don't look, he'll get angry at me for telling you he's there." This seemed like a plausible enough statement to the four of them, so they made their way out of the station where a black Rolls Royce was waiting for them.  
  
"Wotcher you lot!" called the driver coming towards them. "Good to see you all again."  
  
"Tonks?" asked Ginny in bewilderment as they lifted their trunks into the boot. Harry looked over at their driver and sure enough, it was her, although it was tough to discern that she was even a woman, given that she had changed her appearance to that of a man in his mid to late sixties, and was wearing a standard driver's uniform.  
  
"How on earth did you figure out that it's me?" Tonks said with a wink.  
  
"Female intuition," Ginny said with a wink as she climbed into the car, which fortunately had been magically expanded to accommodate all of them.  
  
"I hope you're as good a driver as you are a chaser," Harry whispered to Tonks with a smile.  
  
"I doubt it, but we'll see," she replied shrugging. Harry turned to look at her.  
  
"You've never driven a car before?" he asked, fearing the answer.  
  
"Nah, but Arthur gave me a quick lesson before I left headquarters, so don't worry about it."  
  
"Let's get a move on, we haven't got all day," Molly said. "The longer we're out in the open, the longer Mad-Eye will yell at us when we get back to headquarters." The five of them piled into the back of the car, while Tonks got into the driver's seat and started the ignition.  
  
Just as Harry was pulling the door shut, he could've sworn he heard an all-too-familiar voice grumble, 'Talking about headquarters in public..." but by the time he looked in the direction of the speaker, no one was there.  
  
"What are you looking for, Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Nothing," he said smiling to himself as they pulled away from the curb.  
  
They were all making idle conversation until Tonks nearly ran a red light, causing everyone to start yelling at her.  
  
"Alright, you bunch, calm down," she said, having managed to stop the car in time. "Don't get your knickers in a knot."  
  
The rest of the ride passed without incident, and soon they found themselves at the door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Tonks helped them unload their trunks, and they entered the old house to find that it sported a much brighter atmosphere than during their stay over the summer. The heads of all the old house elves had been taken down, much to Hermione's delight. Instead of the hallway being lit by old gas lamps, there was now a single muggle fixture attached to the ceiling providing the hall with light (a measure that Tonks said Mr. Weasley had contributed to). The damp, dingy smell had disappeared, and had been replaced by a faint hint of lemon freshener.  
  
"HARRY POTTER SIR!" squealed Dobby as the house-elf flew like a bludger into Harry's mid-section. "It is good to see you again, sir."  
  
"Thanks, Dobby," Harry replied, recovering his breath. "This place is amazing. Did you do all of this yourself?"  
  
"Eh...no, sir, Misses Wheezey has been helping Dobby," the elf said, shifting his feet uncomfortably. Though Dobby was free, Harry knew he still took enormous pride in his own work.  
  
"I think it's brilliant," Ron said, admiring the new facilities. "How's the rest of the place?"  
  
"Dobby will be happy to show you, Ronald Wheezey," Dobby replied, his delight apparent in his tennis-ball eyes.  
  
"When you're done showing Ron the renovations, can you bring our trunks up to our rooms?" Harry asked. "Hermione's in mine, if you don't mind?"  
  
"Dobby will be pleased to," he replied. "Come Mister Wheezey, Dobby will show you the house." With that he and Ron went off into one of the rooms next to the hall. Harry was about to speak when Molly beat him to it.  
  
"Hermione's staying in the same room as you?" she asked, in a very motherly tone.  
  
"Yes," replied Harry without the slightest hint of embarrassment. "We haven't been trying hard to keep the fact that we're very much in love a secret."  
  
"But you're too young," Molly replied, looking the tiniest bit distraught.  
  
"On the contrary, if I'm old enough to be expected to kill Voldemort, I'm certainly old enough to be with the woman I love," Harry answered without hesitation, looking longingly at Hermione.  
  
"I quite agree with you, Harry," said Emma Granger coming down the stairs into the hall, followed closely by David.  
  
"You...you don't have a problem with this?" Molly asked, taken aback.  
  
"Not in the least," replied David. "We're fully aware that Hermione is intelligent enough not to make rash decisions, and her choice in Harry is exemplary."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Harry said, blushing slightly.  
  
"Not at all," he replied. "Now come, you need to tell us all about your term and your parents."  
  
"You knew about that?" Hermione asked, surprised.  
  
"Of course," replied her mother. "Dumbledore told us the minute it happened. Given that he knew where you were and that you were fine, we didn't worry too much."  
  
"Well, I'll just be off to start the dinner," Ms. Weasley said. "Ginny, come with me please?"  
  
"Sure, Mum," replied the youngest Weasley and the two set off for the basement kitchen.  
  
"So now," said David clapping his hands together. "Let's go into the drawing room and talk about what's happened. We've been looking forward to hearing about your parents." With that the four of them made their way into the second room on the left, which also looked much warmer than it had over the summer.  
  
The serpentine chandelier had disappeared and instead been replaced with one made of ordinary crystal. All traces of the dark arts had been removed from the shelves, and the once cold and dark fireplace was now alive with flames roaring in its alcove.  
  
"So," said Emma sitting in a plush armchair by the fire. "Tell us about what happened."  
  
"First tell me about the house," interrupted Hermione, not looking up from her place on the sofa next to Harry. Her parents sighed at this.  
  
"I'm afraid there really isn't anything left of it," David said. "Fortunately we managed to pass it off to the insurance company as an 'Act of God,' so we're amply covered."  
  
"We were actually hoping that you didn't mind us staying here, until we found a new place Harry," Emma said.  
  
"You're more than welcome to stay here," he said instantly. "As long as Hermione and I don't have to keep up the façade of sleeping in different rooms."  
  
"Of course not," replied Hermione's mother. "David and I aren't daft, we know what you two do." Harry and Hermione blushed at this. "Don't be embarrassed," she said. "Do you think we expect you two to not be together like that, considering how head over heels you are for each other?"  
  
"Mum!" exclaimed Hermione.  
  
"Well, it's true," said David shrugging. "But we digress. Tell us about your year so far."  
  
The next hour was spent as Harry and Hermione related all the stories of what had happened in 1977 to David and Emma, leaving out the parts that involved the information they found out about Peter. When they were done, Hermione's mother leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.  
  
"So you can turn into animals now?" she asked. Harry nodded at this. "Perhaps we could have a demonstration?"  
  
"Sorry to interrupt sirs and misses, but Misses Wheezey has just sent me to tell you that dinner shall be ready in five minutes, and to please meet in the kitchen," Dobby said popping into the room.  
  
"Thanks Dobby, tell her we'll be there in a minute," Hermione said with a warm smile.  
  
"Very well," squeaked the elf who disappeared a moment later with a 'pop!'.  
  
"Some other time, perhaps," David said shrugging. The four of them made their way down to the basement kitchen, where Remus, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, and the entire Weasley Clan minus Percy, Bill, and Charlie were all present and waiting for the food. The moment Harry, Hermione, and her parents sat down, Dobby appeared and starting piling platters of food onto the table.  
  
"It's a system Dobby and Mum worked out," said Fred dictating, as he helped himself to some corned beef hash.  
  
"Mum gets to cook, Dobby gets to set the table, present the meal, and do the dishes afterwards," George finished for him.  
  
"Well honestly, I wouldn't mind doing the dishes –" Molly began, but Dobby cut her off.  
  
"No Miss, it is enough that Misses Wheezey does the cooking," he said as he put a large bowl of steak and kidney pudding on the table. "'Tis a house elf's job to do, but Dobby did not want to argue with a friend of Harry Potter." The room shared a chuckle at this as a slight blush crept onto Dobby's cheeks.  
  
"I hope I'm not too late to join in," Albus Dumbledore said as he waltzed through the door with a vibrant twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"Not at all, Albus," said Mr. Weasley getting up to shake the headmaster's hand. "It's a pleasure to have you for dinner."  
  
"Well I need to talk to Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, so I thought, 'why not come for dinner, as well?' as I'm sure that Molly has made more than enough," Dumbledore said as he summoned a chair for him to sit in.  
  
"Why do you need to talk to us?" asked Hermione curiously.  
  
"All will be revealed in time," the headmaster said with a twinkle. "Now, let's enjoy some of Molly's fine cooking, shall we?" Mrs. Weasley blushed at this, and everyone in the room began enjoying their meals.  
  
"I loathe the living right now," Ron said hovering in his chair. Fred and George exchanged a mischievous smile at this, and cleared their throats.  
  
"Well, Ron," said George with a smile.  
  
"We did some research while you were at our beloved school," continued Fred, with an equally broad grin on his face.  
  
"And we've found out a rather clever use for our little discovery here," George removing a pouch from his robes. "Fred, prepare the boy a meal."  
  
"Just what two you to think you're doing?" asked Molly as Fred piling food onto a plate, and poured pumpkin juice into a glass.  
  
"I think this may be of interest to watch," said Dumbledore. "Does it really work?"  
  
"Of course," said Fred, picking up the plate of food and setting it down in front of Ron. "We managed to get a tester for it."  
  
"Perhaps it would be better if I didn't know who," replied the aged wizard with a smile. At last, a full meal was in place before Ron, and the ghost crossed his arms and stared at the twins.  
  
"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.  
  
"George, would you be so kind as to do the honors?" asked Fred. The other twin nodded and opened the pouch, the entire room watching him. Removing a pinch of the dust from inside, he sprinkled some over the food and in the pumpkin juice before tapping the glass and the plate with his wand.  
  
The entire room, with the exception of Fred, George, and Dumbledore let out an audible gasp as the plate, along with the food on it, became entirely transparent, along with the glass and the liquid inside.  
  
"You're joking..." Ron said as he stared at the meal as if it were the holy grail.  
  
"Not at all, little bro," replied Fred with a cheerful grin as George sprinkled some of the dust on a set of silverware, turning it transparent as well. "Dig in!"  
  
Without hesitation, Ron reached for the transparent fork, and to the surprise of everyone except the same three people, managed to pick it up. Not a second later there was food on the end of it, being shoveled into Ron's mouth.  
  
"'oo guyz ar blooee brillyant!" Ron shouted through his mouthful of food. "I've miffed this so muck."  
  
"Finish your food before you speak," Molly said.  
  
"Let him be," Arthur whispered from next to her. "He hasn't enjoyed a meal in six months."  
  
'Hermione, I just had a thought," Harry said through his mind now that the room was merely making conversation while Ron was busy wolfing down as much of his dinner as possible.  
  
'I know,' she replied. 'And I agree with you.'  
  
'We'll have to ask them about it,' he said. 'Ever since James and Sirius told us that they had put their dust in the orange juice, I've wondered if it was the same thing.' Hermione nodded and they resumed in the conversation at the table, the nearly-forgotten noises of Ron chewing in the background.  
  
Half an hour later most everyone's stomachs were full (Ron was insisting that Fred and George change more food for him, but they pointed out that they only could produce small quantities of the dust at once, and had to use it sparingly). Harry had just finished the last of his dinner when Dumbledore motioned for him, Hermione, and Ginny to follow him out of the room.  
  
'What do you reckon this is about?' he asked silently.  
  
'I don't know,' came the reply. Dumbledore led them into the drawing room where, when he saw that the fire had died out, he promptly restarted it with a wave of his wand.  
  
"Now then," he said taking a seat in one of the armchairs. "As Harry or Hermione may or may not have told you, Ginny, I try to know about everything that goes on in Hogwarts."  
  
"They didn't," said the redhead, a note of worry in her voice.  
  
"That's fine," replied Dumbledore. "I will tell you then that I know about your relationship with Draco." Ginny's eyes widened at this.  
  
'I had a feeling that's what it was,' Hermione commented silently.  
  
"Professor, you can't tell anyone," Ginny said quickly. "Lucius will kill him, and so will my family if they find out about it, and –"  
  
"Miss Weasley, please calm yourself," Dumbledore interrupted. "I will not tell anyone."  
  
"Forgive me for butting in," Hermione said. "But how come you wanted Harry and I here if you wanted to talk about Ginny's relationship with Draco?"  
  
"Because it's important for you to know that neither she nor Draco were lying to you last night when you encountered them in the Room of Requirement," the headmaster said solemnly. "I have no doubt, that if Lucius finds out about Draco's relationship, he will kill him."  
  
"But why would someone kill his own son?" asked Harry shaking his head.  
  
"Because Lucius' devotion to Lord Voldemort is so great, that if he found out Draco's love for one of the Weasleys, whom he considers to be the lowest form of pureblood wizard, I'm afraid to say, he would undoubtedly kill him to prove to Tom that he will have nothing to do with a muggle-loving family," Dumbledore said sadly.  
  
"Then why would Draco risk his life for Ginny in the first place?" he asked.  
  
"Do you remember what I told you before in St. Mungo's before you went to see Viktor Krum?" Dumbledore asked. "I told you that I would not expel Draco because he wasn't a lost cause, that he could still be saved from the ideals his father holds. I believe that our young Miss Weasley has helped to achieve that with admirable results."  
  
"What about Ron?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I daresay he'll find out eventually," said the headmaster. "And hopefully it will come as a result of Ginny telling him, and not of him finding out like Harry and Hermione here."  
  
"How am I supposed to tell him something that will likely pit my entire family against me?" Ginny asked, tears slowly forming in her brown eyes.  
  
"Quietly," said Dumbledore after some consideration. "And the best thing to do is to make sure Harry, Hermione, and Draco are all with you."  
  
"Why us?" asked Harry.  
  
"I have a feeling that you'll need to do some convincing in order to keep Ron from using his powers on Draco," replied the headmaster with a slight twinkle. "But I have no doubt that you'll be up to the task." The three students in the room nodded as Dumbledore checked his twelve-handed watch. "Well now, I must be going," he said standing up. "And Ginny, try to do it sometime soon." With that he walked from the room and out into the hall.  
  
"D'you...d'you guys mind if we do it when we get back?" Ginny asked, tears running down her face. "I want to get it over with as quickly as possible." Hermione strode over to Ginny and wrapped her arms around her in a very sister-like hug.  
  
"Of course we will," she said. "And it's good that you're going to tell him."  
  
"I don't want to tell him," Ginny said wiping her eyes. "I mean, what if he goes off and tells Mum? She'll bloody disown me, for crying out loud."  
  
"Nah, she won't," said Harry walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "It'll take her a while to get used to the idea, once she finds out. But she won't disown you."  
  
"And if Ron tells her, I'll make sure to have Fred and George give me a sample of that dust so I can turn a club into ghost-form and have it follow him around the castle, hitting him on the head," Hermione said smiling. Ginny gave a slight chuckle at this.  
  
"You two are too kind to me," she said, her sniffles clearing up. "And after all the trouble I've caused, too."  
  
"What trouble have you caused?" asked Harry, his brow furrowing.  
  
"There was a small matter that involved a diary, a hidden chamber a thousand feet under Hogwarts, and a sixty foot long snake that just happens to kill people by looking at them," Ginny replied, looking at her feet.  
  
"Oh come on, you can't be serious," Harry said kneeling down in front of her. "Ginny, that was four and a half years ago."  
  
"Doesn't mean I don't feel dumb about it sometimes," she said softly.  
  
"Look at me," Harry said. Ginny raised her head slowly to look Harry in the eye. "How do you think I felt after the night I told Sirius and Remus not to kill Peter Pettigrew?" Ginny shrugged. "I felt horrible. Even more horrible after what's happened in the past few years. By letting Peter live, I allowed Voldemort to return to power. Because he got away, we weren't able to prove Sirius' innocence, and now he's gone because of it. How many times do you think I feel dumb about what happened that night three and a half years ago?"  
  
"A lot?" Ginny suggested with a half-hearted smile.  
  
"More than you can imagine," Harry said. "But I don't let it get to me. The past is in the past, and what's done can't be changed. Besides, compared to what I had to go through in fourth year, rescuing you from the basilisk was nothing." Ginny let out a small laugh at this and allowed Harry to help her to her feet.  
  
"Thanks," she said. "I guess I owe you, huh?"  
  
"Well you covered for me as seeker while I was gone, so how 'bout we call it even?" he said with a smile. Ginny nodded and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I think I'm going to go to bed now," she said. "I mean it, guys, thanks for helping me through this."  
  
"We're happy to do it, Gin," Hermione said with a warm smile. Ginny nodded and departed through the oak door out into the hallway.  
  
"What do you say, Miss Granger, shall we head up to bed too?" asked Harry with a sly smile.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione said crossing her arms. "What with you kissing another woman and all, I'm not too sure that I should go to bed with you tonight."  
  
"What?" Harry said confused. "Ginny kissed me! I didn't kiss her! And it was on the cheek –" Hermione cut him off by planting a kiss on his lips.  
  
'I was only joking, Potter," she said silently without breaking contact. 'You know that.'  
  
'Yeah,' replied Harry wrapping his arms around her waist. 'But I figured I'd play along because I knew you'd get me to shut up at some point.' At this, Hermione broke away from the kiss.  
  
"A little full of ourselves, aren't we?" she asked playfully.  
  
"I wouldn't be the Boy-Who-Lived if I wasn't," Harry replied with a grin as Hermione slowly leaned for another kiss.  
  
'Meet me upstairs,' she said silently. 'Go say goodnight to everyone first.'  
  
"Why do I have to go say goodnight to everyone?" he asked, breaking off contact.  
  
"Because I can't get ready in public," she replied with a sly smile. "Unless of course, you want the twins to see me changing..."  
  
"Never mind," said Harry quickly as Hermione turned to leave. "See you in a minute."  
  
"You better take more than a minute," she said as she walked out of the room. Harry waited thirty seconds before walking down to the kitchen.  
  
"Going to bed already?" asked Molly as Dobby was cleaning up the remnants of dessert from the table.  
  
"I'm feeling kind of tired," he said. "And I'm looking forward to being able to sleep in."  
  
"That's not the only reason," he heard Ron whisper to Tonks who promptly turned a slight shade of red and had to clench her jaw shut to keep the onslaught of giggles that was threatening to overcome her away. Harry said a quick goodnight to the rest of the group, earning not-so-inconspicuous winks from the twins, and left the kitchen to go upstairs.  
  
'You ready?' he asked through his mind as he walked up the stairs to the third floor.  
  
'Yes,' Hermione replied in a very sultry tone of voice, which made some of the blood in Harry's brain go slightly south. Deciding not to dawdle any longer, he bolted up the remaining stairs and nearly broke the door down as he crashed into his room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"A bit anxious, aren't we?" Hermione asked behind him. Harry turned around to face her, and the result was the rest of the blood in his brain migrating to regions elsewhere.  
  
Hermione was lying in his bed, with her head propped up on one hand, wearing some of the skimpiest undergarments Harry had ever seen (including the Victoria Secret magazines that Dudley had left in his old bedroom when Harry had moved in there). The fact that they were deep red didn't help matters any.  
  
"Where on earth did you buy those?" he asked, walking slowly over to her.  
  
"These?" asked Hermione looking down at herself. "I didn't buy these." Harry stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
"You...you didn't steal them, did you?"  
  
"Of course not!" she exclaimed with a laugh.  
  
"Well then how did you get them?" he replied. She got up off the bed and sauntered over to him, throwing an extra swing in her hips with each step. As she reached Harry, she leaned in close to him as she started unbuttoning his shirt.  
  
"Let's not forget that Transfiguration is my best subject..."  
  
With that, the last rational thought vacated Harry's mind, and he promptly grabbed Hermione's hand, walked over to the bed, pulled her down on top of him, and turned off the lights with a wave of his wand.  
  
---------------  
  
::Wiggles eyebrows:: I realised that I hadn't had any truly naughty stuff for a while, so I just had to throw that last bit in there. For those of you who are wondering, I will be posting the missing scene that would appear at the end of this chapter on Hermione's birthday (the 19th), as an NC-17 One-Shot, much like 'The Best Birthday Ever,' so you may expect that sometime on Sunday night. Until next time, pouvoir toute votre vaisseau sa duveté (pumpkin pie to whomever knows what I meant by that).  



	17. Revelations

Ok, I won't lie. I've done more writing this week than in my entire life. The challenge response on Wednesday, the smutlet on Sunday, and cranking out a 14 page chapter everywhere in between. You bums owe me.

In fact, I can think of a perfect way for everyone who loves this story OH SO MUCH (as countless people have said in their reviews) to repay me ::wink wink:: Go put me up on the recommendations board. I've checked, and I'm not up there. It was a little disappointing, considering how many have reviewed and the quality of the reviews, but I won't let it get to me. I'd just like to know if people are doing it on purpose, or if no one has genuinely thought of it. Ok, I'm done with my begging for now. Go do my bidding!

Enjoy this chapter, yada yada yada, review when you're done (but don't make pointless drivel about it either).

And since I haven't said it in ages, I own not the rights to Harry Potter. 'Tis a shame. Maybe if I work my ass off in film school I can get directorial rights to the seventh HP movie....who knows.

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Chapter 17: Revelations

Christmas morning Harry woke up and slowly got out of bed, so as not to wake Hermione. Taking a quick shower, he dressed and went downstairs to find that only Fred was awake.

"Morning, Har," he said, looking in the cupboard for something. "Dobby's already made breakfast, it's on the table."

"Thanks," he replied, grabbing a plate and taking a seat.

"Oh, and take a look at the Prophet. It's in front of Ron's place, but you're here first, so you can read it."

"Why?" said Harry reaching across the table to grab the paper.

"You'll see," came the reply from Fred, who had shifted his search to the pantry.

WIZENGAMOT VOTE OVER, MINISTER OF MAGIC TO BE REPLACED

Yesterday, on the 24th of December, after ten months of arguments and hearings, the Wizengamot voted on a count of 46 to 4 that Cornelius Fudge be removed from his position as Minister of Magic.

"It's been a long time coming," said the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, Amelia Bones. "Ever since the blunder with You-Know-Who's return , he's needed to go. The minister just hasn't been doing his job of protecting the people."

Fudge has been under close observation ever since his large blunder of not admitting the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named a two and a half years ago, and in February of this year, was brought to trial by the Wizengamot for a breach of duty. His replacement has yet to be named, but the Wizengamot will have a vote on the matter before the Easter Holiday. More on page 12.

"How come I haven't heard anything about this?" asked Harry, taking a sip from his pumpkin juice.

"They were keeping it low-key for a while," said Fred from the pantry, his red hair barely visible from the angle at which he was bending over to look at the items on the lower shelves. "George and I didn't even find out about it until the Order meeting just after you returned from the past."

"Find out about what?" asked Ron, floating into the kitchen.

"Read this," said Harry tossing the paper on the table in front of him.

"Talk about a Christmas present," he replied after scanning the headline. He sat down in his chair as best he could for being a ghost. "It's about time."

Harry was helping himself to eggs when Hermione and Ginny walked into the kitchen, both yawning.

'Hey, you,' Harry said silently with a grin. 'Happy Christmas.'

"You too," she replied audibly walking over to him, her bushy hair bouncing slightly with each step she took.

"You have got to stop doing that," Ron said. "If you're going to speak to yourselves, keep the entire conversation like that so I don't hear some random fragment of a talk and wondering what's bloody going on."

"Yes, sir," said Harry giving the ghost a salute.

"Sod off."

"So Fudge's been sacked?" asked Ginny, peering at the paper over Ron's shoulder.

"Yeah," said Fred taking a seat at the table. "Though they don't know who's going to replace him."

"Think it'll be Dumbledore?" asked Ron.

"No," said Hermione firmly, taking a seat next to Harry. "He's already said he wouldn't take the job if it was offered to him."

"When'd he say that?"

"About a week ago, when the voting began," she replied, putting some bacon on her plate.

"How come you never told me about this?" Harry asked, turning to face her.

"I thought you knew," she said with a shrug. At that instant, George chose to apparate into the kitchen with a loud bang.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron. "What was that for?"

"That, my brother, was my way of saying Happy Christmas to you all," he replied. "By the way, you look a little pale. Are you feeling okay?"

"Stop with the ghost jokes already," Ron said grumbling. "So are we getting presents?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," replied Fred, walking over to his twin. "Mum's always saying how we should wait until everyone's gathered at the tree, but since she and dad are visiting Charlie right now, I'd say that what she doesn't know won't hurt her." He tossed them each a small box; Ron's passed through him and landed on the chair.

"Don't worry, we put a box of chocolate frogs under the tree for all of you so the grown-ups won't get suspicious," George said as Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were opening their presents. "Ah, shall I get that for you, little bro?" Ron emitted a low growl as George walked over to him and opened the box, placing the small pouch inside it in front of him.

"Is this...?" Harry asked opening the pouch and looking inside.

"You bet!" said Fred with an enormous grin. "Granted Harry, you and Ron are supposed to have a pouch of it anyway since you're in the Order, so Ginny and Hermione benefit from it more, but we thought it'd make a good present all the same."

Inside each of the four pouches was the same dust that the twins had used to gain entrance into the Order.

"Does this mean that I get to have meals at Hogwarts?" asked Ron, his angered mood disappearing immediately.

"You bet," replied George. "But use it sparingly, okay? We can't be sending you a refill everytime you run out. I'd save it for the feasts if I were you." Ron nodded.

"Hold onto this for me, will you, Harry?" he asked. Harry nodded and pocketed Ron's pouch, along with his own.

"Guys, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" he asked, putting on a fake smile. Fred and George looked at each other cautiously for a second before nodding.

'Where are you going?' asked Hermione silently.

'To find out if this is really theirs,' Harry said as he exited the kitchen with the twins in his wake. He stopped once in the hall and closed the door to the kitchen once the twins had passed through it.

"What's all this about?" asked Fred, lines of concern spreading across his face.

"You're not turning into Mum and complaining, now are you?" George asked.

"No," replied Harry, and the looks of worry immediately disappeared from the twins faces. "I want you two to tell me the truth about where you got that dust." Now it was shock that was plastered on the faces of Fred and George.

"Er....." stammered George, looking at his shoes.

"My dad and Sirius had dust that works the same way yours does," Harry said. "Is it the same one?" George looked up from his shoes and at his brother, who was turning a slight shade of green. Combined with his hair, Harry thought it made him look like a badly colored Christmas decoration.

"Oh fine," said George, exasperated. "We found it in the same cabinet in Filch's office as the Marauder's Map. I take it that it was another invention of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs?"

"Of course," replied Harry with a smile. "They would've been proud."

"How so?" asked Fred, the green fading from his face slightly.

"You two used one of their inventions to get into the Order," Harry said with a shrug. "It helped aid in your mischief."

"Well, we don't call joining the Order exactly mischief," said George.

"What about lying to join the Order?" asked Harry with a smug grin, causing the twins to look around uneasily.

"Well we didn't exactly lie and tell them that we'd invented it," Fred said sheepishly. "We just said that it was ours and we were willing to share it with them if they'd let us in."

"Mmm hmm," said Harry crossing his arms. "Oh that reminds me, I want to show you something."

"What is it?" asked Fred as Harry started up the stairs that would take him to the third floor.

"Come with me, you'll see." Giving each other a curious glance, the twins followed Harry up to his room, where he immediately pulled the Marauder's Map out of his trunk and handed it to the twins.

"We've seen this many a time before," said George.

"Activate it," Harry said simply. Giving him a skeptical glance, Fred removed his wand from his robes and placed the tip on the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he intoned, watching as the map revealed itself. "So what are we looking for?"

"Read the introduction," Harry said nodding at the map. The twins both began to recite the passage from memory, but did a double take when they realised that wasn't what was written on the paper.

"Paws?" asked George, looking at Harry in awe. Without replying, Harry changed into a Sagin and gave the red-heads a playful growl.

"Whoa," whispered Fred as the over-sized lion sat down on it's hind quarters.

"Harry, you're bloody huge!" said George walking towards him. Harry growled at him before he could get too close, and the twin backed off immediately, fear etched into his facial features. Harry instantly turned back into his human self and broke into laughter.

"You should've seen your face!" he exclaimed, clutching his sides. He closed his eyes momentarily to wipe the tears of laughter away, but when he reopened them, his glee died away immediately.

Two identical Bengal Tigers were slowly advancing at him, licking their chops.

"Uhh....erm," said Harry backing against the wall. "Oh boy."

"Hey Harry are you in here?" Hermione asked knocking at the door. She opened it, and the tigers turned around to see who entered, which provided Harry with enough of a distraction to turn switch forms and pounce on one of them.

"All right, Harry, let him go," said George having turned back into his human form. Harry turned and looked at George, then at the tiger that was struggling under his weight. Giving a slight growl, he turned back into a human, followed shortly thereafter by Fred.

"No need to get violent," the twin said, getting up and brushing himself off.

"Oh and two tigers advancing on me, looking as if they hadn't had a meal in a week isn't violent?" asked Harry walking over to Hermione.

"So you two are animagi as well?" she asked, appraising them.

"Of course," said George. "The greatest pranksters since Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, and you honestly expect us to not be animagi?"

"You never brought it up before," Hermione said shrugging. "So it looks like we're all cats."

"We?" asked Fred. "You're an animagus too?"

"Naturally," she said. "Harry didn't tell you?"

"Must've slipped his mind," said George, as Harry blushed slightly.

"Well come on, my mum wants us all downstairs so we can open presents," Hermione said ushering the boys out of the room. "Honestly the way you three behave sometimes..."

The four of them walked downstairs into the sitting room where they, along with the help of some of the other members of the Order, had erected a giant tree for the holiday, along with other decorations covering nearly every inch of the room.

There were ten green and red stockings hanging above the fireplace (which currently held a roaring fire), one each for Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, the twins, Hermione's parents, Remus, and, at Hermione's insistance, Dobby.

Golden bubbles similar to the ones that Flitwick had used in their first year were hanging in long strands across the walls up near the ceiling. Wreaths adorned with silky red bows were hung here and there, and the chandelier was sparkling on the ceiling high above them, as though the lights emanating from the tips of the candles were sparkling diamonds, instead of simple fire. It all paled in comparison, though, to the great pine in the corner of the room.

The tree itself stood roughly ten feet high, Harry guessed. It was bedecked with golden tinsel, ornaments of every kind, little figurines of various wizarding people that kept shouting good tidings at random intervals, and a very elaborately sculpted silver star on the top.

Beneath the tree looked to be somewhere around a hundred gifts, all varying in size and shape. Situated in front of the presents were David and Emma, Ginny, Ron, and Tonks, who was amusing them all by making her nose, which was currently in the form of Rudolph's, blink on and off occasionally with a slight buzz each time it did so.

"Where's Remus?" asked Tonks looking up as the four of them walked over to the tree.

"He still isn't feeling too well," Hermione said as she sat down on the floor next to Ginny. "The full moon two nights ago really exhausted him."

"Oh well," said Tonks, her nose darkening slightly. "Make sure to get him his presents, okay?"

"You know I will," replied Harry. "Now, what have we got here?" He reached for a large parcel with his name on it, and was about to tear the paper off, when a voice behind him surprised everyone in the room.

"Going for the biggest presents right away, Harry?" Dumbledore asked with his usual twinkle.

"Professor...you startled me," said Harry, brushing his disheveled bangs out of his face.

"I'm sorry to have given all of you a start," the headmaster said, conjuring up a poofy armchair and sitting in it. "But I thought perhaps I might be able to join in on the festivities."

"Of course, sir," said David from his seat near the hearth.

"Albus, David, Albus," chided the headmaster. "Now, Harry, I believe you were going to open my present?" he asked with a smile. Harry turned back to the package and tore the paper off, only to find a silver basin.

"Professor...is that...?" asked Hermione, trailing off.

"It is indeed, Hermione," he answered.

"What am I to use it for?" Harry asked.

"Well, what with the discontinuation of your Occlumency over a year ago, I thought it might be prudent for you to have a pensieve, so that you may empty your mind of thoughts before you go to sleep," the headmaster said.

"Thanks," said Harry after some consideration. In truth, it wasn't the most exciting present he had ever received (his Firebolt was atop that list), but it definitely seemed to be the most thoughtful.

The next hour was spent unwrapping gifts, and even Dobby showed up for a few minutes to personally hand out his gifts to those present in the room. Dumbledore had just finished tucking away a pair of large woolen socks with hippogriffs on them (compliments of Harry), when a booming knock sounded at the front door.

"I wonder who that could be...?" said Fred getting up and walking out into the hall. A moment later his voice could be heard in the hall exclaiming, "Bloody hell, man, it's great to see you again!"

"Well it's wonderful teh be here again, thas' for sure," came the voice of the visitor. Harry turned and smiled at Hermione.

'Hagrid,' they both thought simultaneously. Sure enough, a minute later the Keeper of the Keys came through the doorway to the sitting room, fully clothed in a muggle Santa outfit.

"Happy Christmas to yeh," he said as Dumbledore conjured up a chair large enough for him to sit in. "I haven' seen yeh in ages, you lot."

"It's great to see you again Hagrid," said Harry getting up and giving his old friend a hug. "I would've come to visit, but there was the whole going-back-in-time issue."

"S'ok," he said, taking a seat in the oversized armchair, a loud 'thud' reverberating through the house as he did so. "Yeh got teh see yer mum an' dad, which is worth more than summat I could give yeh."

"They were pretty remarkable people," said Hermione standing up. "How've you been?"

"The same, mostly," he said. "Not sure whether I told you or not, but Grawp's finally got 'is English down. I've actually got him out in the forest takin' care o' Fluffy."

"So you do still have him, then?" asked Ron.

"Course!" said Hagrid with a proud smile. "One o' me best pets, 'side from Norbert." His eyes got a little teary at the mention of his former pet dragon, so they went back to opening presents, while Tonks and the twins got into a conversation on how to go about getting Hagrid's beard to tie itself into a bow.

"Who are Norbert and Grawp?" asked Hermione's mother.

"Long story," Hermione answered quickly.

"Hey Gin, this one's for you," said George handing her a present wrapped in pale green paper with a silver bow. "Hmm, no tag. Any ideas on who it's from?"

The look of terror in Ginny's eyes was immediate; comprehension dawned on Harry and Hermione a moment later.

"Uh, that's from me," Harry said, saying the first thing that came to his mind. "You can open it later, Gin, it's okay."

"No, go ahead and open it," Fred encouraged with an evil smile. "Let's ee what you got."

"Hey guys, how do you feel about house-elf rights?" said Hermione, resorting to drastic measures.

"Hermione, you're not still on about that are you?" Fred and George asked at the same time, providing enough time for Harry to whip out his wand and banish the present from Malfoy up to Ginny's room.

"Thanks," she whispered, not meeting his gaze.

"Well then what about the centaurs?" Hermione asked, having not realised that her task was already done.

"I don't think they want to associate with humans as it is," George said. "Honestly, Hermione, with the exception of goblins, most of the creatures are happy the way they are."

"Goblins are mistreated?!" shrieked Hermione, which in turn silenced all conversation in the room.

"Now look at what you've got her started on," groaned Ron. The rest of the room shared a collective chuckle at this, and shortly thereafter Emma suggested that they all put their presents away now that all of them had been opened. The assembled group agreed, and slowly began to make their way from the room, leaving Harry and Hermione alone by the tree after a minute. They stood up to leave the room, but just before they crossed the threshold into the hall, Harry looked up.

"Hey," he said, tugging on her sleeve gently. "Mistletoe." Hermione looked up, and sure enough there was a small branch of it hanging above the doorway.

"Hmmm..." she said thoughtfully. "I guess this means you have to kiss me now."

"I suppose," Harry said with a heavy sigh. "Don't try to impress me now, or anything." Hermione giggled slightly at this.

'I have plenty other ways of 'impressing' you, Mr. Potter,' she said silently with a slight purr. Abandoning all further reason, Harry pulled her close and immediately crushed his lips to hers.

'Think we'll be missed?' Harry asked in his mind.

'Maybe, but I know some charms so that they can't find us,' Hermione replied, smiling into his mouth.

It took them all of twenty seconds to run up to Harry's room and seal the door shut with the most powerful locking and silencing charms in existence.

Back downstairs everyone else had just retaken their respective seats in the room, when Hagrid spoke up.

"Where're Harry an' Hermione?" he asked, looking around. Realising that Harry and Hermione were, in fact, not there, the assembled group began to give each other looks of suspicion.

"I know where they are," said George with a wicked smile.

"Where?" asked Ginny. He pointed at a spot under the tree.

"Take a guess," he said pointing at the presents that Harry and Hermione had forgotten to take with them.

The rest of the holidays passed in a blur, and soon Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny found themselves situated back on the Hogwarts Express, heading back for their next term of classes. Hermione had convinced Ron to take a quick walk with her to check on some of the first years so that Harry could inquire about the present from Malfoy.

"So what was it?" he asked anxiously.

"This," she said revealing a silver necklace she was wearing. "He has one too. He said that there's a protection charm on it, so if either of us is in danger, it emits a warning buzz. We can also talk through it."

"Have you checked to make sure it's not cursed or anything?" Harry asked. Ginny tucked the necklace back inside her collar and crossed her arms.

"Harry, you may not trust him, but I do," she said. "And that's what matters."

"You also trusted a diary in our second year," he countered. "I'm just trying to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen again. The last thing we need is the murder of Malfoy by Ron for hurting you."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Ginny said. "But he's not like that. He wouldn't hurt me."

"Alright, just –"but at that moment Ron floated through the door with Hermione on his heels. Harry changed his words midsentence. "Be – so how'd our matches go while Hermione and I were gone?" Though Ginny was in the process of answering his question, Harry distinctly heard Hermione laugh in her head.

'Nice save,' she thought with a chuckle.

'Thanks for the warning,' he replied with sarcasm, not paying attention to Ginny's answer.

'Sorry about that, but Ron was in the way and he caused some interference, I think.'

'No harm done,' said Harry with a wink. 'At least not yet...'

They arrived at the station, boarded the Thestral drawn carriages and rode up to the entrance of the castle. Harry and Ginny were the last one's out of the coach, and he whispered, "Tonight," into her ear before walking over to Ron and Hermione. Giving her a quick look back, she sighed and gave him a small nod.

'What was that all about?' asked Hermione silently as she and Harry made their way into the Great Hall, holding hands.

'We're going to have that conversation with Ron and Draco tonight, it's better to get it over with sooner than later,' Harry responded in his mind. Hermione nodded and they made their way to the Gryffindor table. After a brief welcome back announcement from Dumbledore, Harry leaned over to Ron.

"Hey mate, wanna come to the Room of Requirement with us at 7 tonight?" he said just loudly enough so that Ginny would hear him also.

"Why?" asked Ron skeptically.

"I want to show you something," he replied. Ron shrugged and nodded, before checking to make sure that no one was looking and whispered to Harry to throw a pinch of the dust on a plate of food. Smiling, Harry obliged and saw out of the corner of his eye, Ginny hunched over the table, talking at her chest.

"You think they'll show?" asked Hermione while she and Harry were waiting for Ron, Ginny, and Draco to arrive.

"They better," Harry replied. "This needs to get done." The words were just out of Harry's mouth when the door opened and Ginny and Draco walked through.

Upon seeing Harry and Hermione there, Draco immediately made to turn and leave, but with a flick of her wand, Hermione had closed the door shut and sealed it with a locking charm not even Harry knew.

"You're not going anywhere," she said narrowing her eyes at him.

"What's going on, Ginny?" Draco asked.

"You didn't tell him, I take it?" Harry asked the youngest Weasley with a sigh.

"We're here to tell Ron about us, Draco," Ginny said, trying to lead him over to one of the chairs that the room had provided, but he pulled away.

"I don't want him to know," he said earnestly.

"It's for the best," said Harry from his chair.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Potter," came the reply.

"Well it's either this, or Ron can walk in on you two and go tell the entire Weasley family," Hermione said. "And I don't think either of you would like that very much." Draco sighed in defeat and slumped into one of the armchairs, running his hand through his slicked-back hair.

Not a moment later Ron floated through the door to the room, and when he saw who was there, he stopped dead in mid-air.

"What are you doing here?" he spat at Malfoy.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea," Draco said rolling his eyes.

"Ron, sit down," Hermione said. "There's something that needs to be talked about." The ghost looked appraisingly at Harry and Hermione, then his gaze darted to Draco and Ginny in confusion. After a moment, realisation spread across his spectral face, and he visibly began to shake with anger.

"You..." he said in a deadly whisper at Draco. "I swear, I'm going to kill you if you've even touched –" but he didn't get to finish his sentence as Harry had asked the room to silence Ron and restrain him in one of the armchairs, which it did, to the surprise of Ginny, Draco, and Ron.

"Be quiet," he said. "This isn't a punishment session for Draco, Ron. This is so you know the truth and don't find out a different way." The ghost was still visibly angry, but the shaking had stopped, so Harry let the room allow Ron to speak again.

"There better be a damn good explanation for this," he said. Without hesitation, Ginny plunged into the story of how Draco had saved her on the Hogwarts Express back on the first day of term.

Ten minutes later, the story was over and 'angry Ron' had been replaced by 'scowling/contemplative Ron'.

"Well, Ron?" asked Hermione. "What's your take on all of this?" Sighing, he looked at Draco, then shifted his gaze to Ginny.

"I can't say I'm happy about it, because I'm not," he admitted. "You really trust this greaseball, Gin?" His sister protectively grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it.

"With my life," she replied.

"Not a whole lot I can do to stop it then," Ron said with a frustrated groan. "And I won't tell Mum either." Ginny let out a breath she had been holding at this. "But I'll warn you, Malfoy. If you hurt her, you answer to me."

"And me," Harry added. Draco scowled at the both of them.

"Then I guess I have nothing to be worried about, seeing as I'm not going to hurt her," he replied with his infamous smirk.

"Good," said Ron. "Now I'm tired, can we get to bed?"

"Certainly," said Hermione standing up to leave, follow closely by Harry.

"Ugh, why can't I bloody move?!" shouted Ron from the chair, who was still being restrained by the room. Chuckling inwardly, Harry had the room release his friend, who promptly rocketed up into the air from trying to escape, getting a laugh from Draco.

"A little excited, aren't we?"

"Sod off, Malfoy."

Ginny and Draco parted at the entrance to the Room of Requirement, and the four Gryffindors made their way back up to the tower in relative silence. Ron instantly bade them goodnight when they entered the common room and floated up the stairs to the dorms.

"Don't worry about him," Harry said, seeing Ginny's skeptical look. "He'll come around. It'll just take some time."

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. "Well I'm feeling rather knackered myself. I think I'll head up to bed too."

"Sure thing," Hermione said. "See you in the morning." Ginny nodded as she walked off up the stairs to the girls' dorms, leaving Harry and Hermione standing there.

"Bed?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded.

"Forgive me, but I'm a little too tired to do anything but sleep tonight," she said with a slight frown.

'After how much we did that over holiday, I'm surprised that you haven't collapsed on me in exhaustion yet,' he replied silently with a smirk.

'Always so full of yourself,' she replied as they started to walk up to the Head Boy and Girl rooms. "See you in a minute," she whispered, entering the Head Girl's room and closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later they were snuggled up together in Harry's four-poster, the last few embers of the magical fire that had been present there glowing softly, casting the room in an orange glow. It didn't take long for either of them to fall asleep, smiles plastered on their faces, completely content on just being in each other's presence.

It was dark. Harry couldn't see very far ahead of him, there was only the soft glow of a small fire in the room. The room he was in was fairly large, roughly the size of the library, but it was fairly drafty.

"This will do," Harry said in a hiss.

"My lord, what about the bleeding?" asked a small, cloaked figure beside Harry.

"It is of no concern," he replied. "Blood can be cleaned, or used for better things."

"Will you be present sire?" the cloaked man asked.

"No, I will be leaving this one to Lucius," Harry said. "I will be away taking care of business elsewhere, and you will be coming with me, Wormtail."

"Yes, m'lord." A faint scream echoed throughout the room shortly thereafter the man named Wormtail said this.

"Ah, and I see Lucius has arrived with our guests," Harry said with a delighted hiss. "Go fetch them and bring them in here." The man bowed as he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him. A minute later he returned with two young women; the shorter one seemed terrified, the taller looked as if she was summoning the courage to stand up to Harry, though he couldn't see their faces because of the dim light.

"Well I'm glad to see that Lucius isn't so incompetent that he couldn't bring you to me," he said.

"Not brave enough to do your own work anymore, you bloody coward?" asked the taller one in a scratchy voice; it was obvious she had been struck in the throat. Harry walked forward and slapped her across the face, but she held her gaze.

"No, no, no," Harry said. "You would do well to hold your tongue." The shorter woman started to cry at this. "Quiet, you pathetic slime."

"Don't you talk to her like that!" the first one shouted, earning her a backhand.

"Give them the potion, Wormtail," Harry said. The man produced a vial from his robes and forced the mouths of the women open with his wand, dumping half of it down each of their throats.

Coughing violently, the shorter one looked up at Harry.

"What was that?" she asked in a whimper.

"A little favorite of mine," he replied. "But unfortunately I'm not going to be able to stay and watch it's effects, as I have important business to attend to. But I shall enjoy personally desecrating your dead bodies once the potion has fully affected you." With that, Harry vanished from the room, and Wormtail locked the door behind the women, who started to sob in each other's arms.

Again Harry was in a dark room but this time he couldn't see anything. There was nothing but silence for a little while, and then –

"AAAHHHHHHH" a female voice screamed at the top of her lungs. Harry recognised it immediately as a scream of agony, similar to when the Cruciatus Curse was being used. The voice continued to scream and then a second one joined it a moment later, both of the voices clearly in excruciating pain. The cries of torture and pain slowly subsided until the scene changed and Harry was sitting on his broomstick, high above the a forest looking at a castle in the distance.

There were shouts coming from the castle as if a battle was being fought there, and occasional bursts of green and red light would shine through the windows. Suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise that came from inside the castle, and a white light began to emanate from the windows on one of the lower floors. A moment later there was a huge explosion, which blew the entire right side of the castle open, sending large chunks of stone soaring through the air. Harry was struggling to get back to the castle, but was being held back by some force.

"Let me go!" he shouted, trying to break free.

"HARRY!" shouted Hermione who was shaking him violently. "HARRY WAKE UP!"

Panting, Harry sat straight up in bed, a cold sweat running down his brow.

"What was it?" she asked. "Was it Voldemort?" Harry just sat there in shock, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. "Harry? Are you okay? What happened?"

Finally he managed to pull himself together enough to think of what was going on, and then jumped from the bed before uttering two words.

"Dumbledore. Now."

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Okay guys, I'm really sorry this is such a short chapter, only 5.5k words. Given that I wrote two other fics this week, I'm pleased with the result, but I realise that only 14 pages for a chapter isn't that much. I'll try to crank out a nice long one for next week, and until then, I hope this is enough to keep your hungers in check. Noka cokp hakomntb choba (mind you, some of the letters aren't right, my computer doesn't have this language built into the keyboard). I'll make a special mention of anyone who gets what that says in the next chapter. Until we meet again!


	18. A Champion's Farewell

All right, I know I say it a lot, but reviewing really makes my day. You guys are spending about a minute to comment about something I spent a good ten to twelve working hours on. Please, if you read, just leave a review, even if it's a 'great writing', or a 'this sucks'. I don't care, just something. Anything. Thank you.

On another other note, I realised something. I find that the greatest fics out there are the ones that can continually hold my interest, because they're always leaving me wanting more. As I started writing this chapter, I noticed that I couldn't hold my own interest. Not a good sign. I'm quickly running out of filler material before all the huge plot things start. Therefore, this will be the last chapter before said stuff begins. The ECN (estimated chapter number) is back down to 22. Which means that I'll be skipping A LOT of the school year in this chapter. About three months, to be exact. So with that, I ask for your forgiveness. I hope that Part III will be much more exciting once I start to write it.

One other thing, I'm sorry for getting this out on Wednesday. I know I usually set my mark for Tuesdays, but this chapter was very hard for me to write. At least I finally managed to crank out a 20 page chapter. It's about time. Never fear, from here on out the rest should flow smoothly (though the next one may give me some trouble until the end of it).

Nothing else this time, so enjoy!

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Chapter 18: A Champion's Farewell

Given that they had both been nearly naked when Hermione managed to wake Harry, they made considerable time getting to Dumbledore's office. Upon reaching the landing above the stone gargoyle, Harry rapped on the old oak door loudly without hesitation.

"Come in," the headmaster said. The two teens entered and Dumbledore's brow furrowed a bit at seeing them. "What problem ails you so that you must see me at this late hour?"

"I...er...had a dream," Harry said, hesitating slightly. When this was all he offered, Dumbledore put his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers.

"What kind of dream?" he asked, his usual twinkle diminishing gradually with each passing moment.

"Well, er...I was Voldemort again," he said as Hermione put her arm around his waist. Relaxing slightly at her touch, Harry continued. "At first I was in a big empty room, and I was talking to Wormtail."

"Peter?" asked Dumbledore. Harry nodded. "Please go on."

"I...Voldemort, that is, was talking with him about business that they would be taking care of somewhere else." The headmaster nodded for Harry to continue. "Then he heard two women scream in the distance somewhere, and said that Lucius had arrived. Voldemort told Wormtail to go and get them, which he did."

"Who were they?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'm not sure," replied Harry. "The room was too dark for me to see clearly, but one of them..."

"One of them what, Harry?" asked Hermione looking at him with worry etched into her features.

"I think...you were one of them," he said, holding their gaze.

"It couldn't have been me," she said. "I've been here the entire time. Maybe Voldemort is putting images into your head again?"

"Unlikely," said the headmaster. "No, Tom would know that you were with him, Hermione. He wouldn't try to lure Harry into a trap that would be so easily figured out." Harry and Hermione nodded thoughtfully at this. "Who was the other woman?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "They both sounded like they had been hurt in the throat, their voices were scratchy and forced."

"Very well," said Dumbledore with a small sigh. "What next, then?"

"The tall one, the one who reminded me of Hermione, started talking back to Voldemort, and he slapped her twice before ordering Wormtail to force a potion down their throats. Which he did, by the way."

"Did he say what the potion was?" the headmaster asked. Harry shook his head.

"No sir, only that it was one of his, 'personal favorites'."

"What else?"

"Well after that, Wormtail and I left the women in the room," Harry said. "Then the dream changed and I think I was back in the same room, but this time all that happened was the two women were screaming in agony, like the Cruciatus Curse was being used on them or something."

"And that's it?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, it changed again after that. Next I was flying above a forest, watching a battle taking place in a castle," he replied.

"Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so," Harry said. "It didn't really look like it, though with all the green and red flashes taking place, I couldn't get a real good look." Dumbledore and Hermione nodded at this. "Well that went on for a little while, when all of a sudden this white light started to shine through some of the windows on one of the lower levels. All I remember after that was an enormous explosion. Then Hermione woke me up."

"And that's all?" Dumbledore asked.

"That's all."

"Professor, do you have any ideas on what's happening?" Hermione inquired.

"Yes," the headmaster replied after some consideration. "But each is unlikely as the next."

"Care to elaborate?" asked Harry.

"I think it would be better not to," Dumbledore said. "There are quite literally hundreds of possibilities, and I don't think, what with you having classes tomorrow, that it is wise to tell you all of them. I find that most of my professors do not appreciate it when students fall asleep during their lessons."

"All right," he said dejectedly.

"Please inform me if anything else happens of this nature?" asked the headmaster.

"Of course," Harry replied as he and Hermione turned to leave. They were at the door when he stopped. "Sir?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I suppose you'll have to tell the Order about this?" Dumbledore sighed.

"Yes, I'm afraid I will," the aged wizard said. "The more sources of information one uses, the easier it is to sort out a problem." Harry nodded.

"Just don't let Snape criticise me too much."

"Actually, Harry, _Professor_ Snape hasn't spoken ill of you since before the Christmas holiday," Dumbledore said. Harry and Hermione turned around to face him at this.

"You jest," said Harry with a chuckle playing at his lips. Some of Dumbledore's twinkle returned at this.

"Not in the least," he said. "I take it you apologised to him?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "But he didn't even acknowledge me."

"Give Severus some time," the headmaster said. "It wont be easy for him to relieve himself of a hatred that has consumed his being for over 25 years." With that, Harry nodded and he and Hermione left Dumbledore's office to return to their rooms.

Once they were back in bed snuggled next to each other, Harry voiced the thought that had been bothering him for some time.

"How come you've been so silent?" he asked.

"I asked Professor Dumbledore questions," she retorted, looking up at him.

"You know that's not what I meant."

It was true; ever since they had rushed to the headmaster's office, their mental connection seemed to have faded slightly, as if they were each too caught up in their own thoughts to pay attention to the other's.

"I don't know..." she said shaking her head slightly. "It just seems..."

"Dodgy?" finished Harry for her. She gave him a bleak smile.

"I was going to say 'strange,' but I suppose your way is more accurate." Harry returned the smile as he ran his hand through her chestnut brown hair. "Be truthful with me, Harry. What do you think it means?" He sighed at this.

"In all honesty?" he asked with a shrug. "I have no idea what it means. It seemed real enough to be a vision..."

"But?" Hermione asked when he didn't continue.

"I swear you were one of the women there," he said shaking his head. "But that means that I have at least one thing wrong. Either it wasn't a vision, or the woman wasn't you."

"So it's basically back to the drawing board, but with no new ideas," she said. Harry nodded. "What about the other girl?"

"She seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't make out who it was," he said.

"Well whatever happens, we'll come to it together," Hermione said giving him a kiss on the cheek before draping her arm across his toned chest and closing her eyes.

"Yeah...together..."

Fortunately for Harry, there were no more recurrences of questionable dreams after that night. However, in their haste, he and Hermione had not noticed that there were some late night studiers in the common room when they made their sprint for Dumbledore's office. The result was an onslaught of rumors which couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"I heard that Potter was attacked by You-Know-Who through his scar and had to run for it to the hospital wing before the pain killed him," Harry overheard a person in a group of Hufflepuffs talking about it two days after the incident.

"Nah, he and Granger got called off on some important Head duties."

"You're both daft," said a third from within the crowd and he and Hermione passed them. "Potter got Granger pregnant, and when she told him he tried to make a break for it."

"Oh, honestly!" shouted Harry who couldn't stop himself at this one. "Ten points from Hufflepuff for making false accusations about the Head Boy and Girl. Now get off to your classes now!" The group immediately scattered and as Harry watched the last one disappear around a corner, Ron came floating down the hall clutching his sides.

"That last one was the best one yet," he said laughing so hard, tears were starting to roll down his cheeks.

"It was certainly original," Hermione said thoughtfully. "We really do need to figure out who it was that was studying and have a nice talk to them about all these rumors."

"Wipe that damn smirk off your face, Ron," Harry said as they continued down the hall to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Sorry," he said grinning.

The three of them entered the classroom and found that they were the first ones there, the only other person in the room being Krum.

"Ah," he said seeing them take their seats. "You are early today. Class does not start for another five minutes."

"Well I couldn't stand the continuing barrage of fictional drivel out there," Harry said nodding at the door to the hall.

"Ahh yes," said Krum. "No doubt, the students haff taken an interest in vat happened two nights ago?"

"More or less," said Harry grumbling.

"So tell me, vat really did happen?" he asked.

"Dumbledore hasn't informed the Order yet?" Hermione asked. Krum shook his head.

"He said he vould explain effrything at the next meeting. But it is sometimes better to hear the information from the source, rather than from somevone else."

"I had a dream," Harry said, looking around to make sure that no one had entered the classroom unnoticed. "About two women being tortured by Voldemort." A pained expression appeared on Krum's face at hearing the Dark Lord's name. "Then I saw a battle taking place in a castle."

"Hogvarts?"

"I don't think so, it certainly seemed like a different castle," Harry said.

"Vat did Dumbledore say about all of this?" their teacher asked.

"He said –" but what Dumbledore said remained unspoken, for at that moment, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle waltzed into the room. "He said that we're going to win the Qudditch Cup this year." Malfoy eyed Harry carefully as he made his way to the back of the classroom, but said nothing. Krum gave a knowing smile and nodded.

"Ven is your next game?" he asked, playing along.

"Not for another three months," Ron replied, finally glad to talk about something he knew the answers to. "There's a match against Ravenclaw and Slytherin, then another against Hufflepuff and Slytherin, then the last match of the season before the finals is us versus Hufflepuff."

"You can expect to be playing us in the finals, Weaselby," Malfoy said with a smirk as Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to face him. "That is, if your team has enough skill to get there in the first place."

"Don't you think that you should keep the insults to a minimum, Malfoy?" asked Hermione with a glare. "After all, we don't want to let anything slip by accident, now do we?" Malfoy looked ready to retort, but more students started filling the classroom, thus ending the argument.

"You don't think Crabbe and Goyle know about him and Ginny, do you?" asked Ron in a whisper.

"I don't know," said Harry. "Their fathers are death eaters, so I doubt he would tell them. On the other hand though, they may be so stupid that Malfoy could count on them to listen to him instead of their own parents."

"If effryone vill please open your texts to page four-hundred and tventy nine, ve can began discussing the effects of the Andromedus Curse," Krum said, the class now having filled. With a wary look, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gave one last glance back at Malfoy and his cronies before joining the conversation.

Thursday and Friday passed without incident, though the rumor craze of what had actually happened to Harry that night earlier in the week wasn't losing any steam. Fortunately for the trio, they had the upcoming Order meeting to look forward to (though Harry wasn't really sure whether to be happy about this or not), in which Dumbledore had said that Hermione would be formally inducted.

Since about half of the members in the Order were at Hogwarts for one reason or another, the meeting was being held in the antechamber of the Great Hall. Because there was to be an induction, all the members were present, so when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived, they were each greeted with a large hug from Molly Weasley (or in Ron's case, a pair of arms being wrapped around his spectral figure as best they could).

"It's wonderful to see you all again," she said. "What with Arthur and I going away for the holiday, we didn't think we'd get to see you again until your graduation."

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said. "I trust you don't have any problems with Hermione joining the Order?" Molly sighed slightly at this.

"Of course I do. Prophecy or not, you're still all too young to be involved in this," she said. "But they're your choices to make, not mine. So all I'll do is sit back and hope that no ill comes to you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione. "It means a lot to me."

"I know it does, dear," she said. "And maybe some of our problems will go away now that we have the smartest witch to ever grace Hogwarts grounds in our midst." A pink tinge crept up into Hermione's cheeks at this.

'I told you there was nothing to worry about,' Harry said silently as Molly went over to talk to Remus.

'Yes, well...'

"Is everyone here?" asked Dumbledore, clapping his hand to get the room's attention.

"Er....I think Tonks is late again," said Remus checking his wristwatch. A second later the door to the room burst open and a hyperventilating Tonks came through it, her raspberry blue hair all askew from what Harry would've guessed was a extremely fast and windy broom ride.

"You could've just apparated to Hogsmeade, you know," Professor McGonagal said as everyone took their seats. Tonks' face turned redder than it already was from her flight.

"Oh....right."

"Now then," said Dumbledore silencing the small chuckles of laughter at this. "We have an induction to do before we discuss new business. Hermione, if you would give your speech?" She nodded and stood from her seat next to Harry, fidgeting slightly with her blouse as she walked up to the front of the room.

'You'll be fine,' Harry said silently as she faced the assembled group. She seemed to relax at hearing his voice and gave him a small wink before beginning.

"You'll forgive me," she began with a shy smile. "But I can't compare to the speeches that Viktor, Ron, and Harry gave over the summer." This earned a small laugh from some of those in the room. "I haven't gone out hunting death eaters, I haven't had the love of my life die in my arms –" Ron bowed his head at this. "– and I certainly don't have a prophecy hanging over my head telling me I have to kill possibly the greatest dark wizard of all time."

'You just _had_ to bring that up, didn't you?' Harry asked in his mind with a grin, earning a reproving glare from Hermione before she continued on.

"What I can offer you is my knowledge and research skills. Though I'm quite positive that most of you far surpass my intellect, I'm quite proud of my researching and discovery methods. You may ask Ron or Harry about that, if you have a doubt."

"She's telling the truth," Ron said as a few heads turned to look at him and Harry.

"I don't like bragging about anything, but there really isn't much else for me to offer, so forgive me for playing that fact up a bit," she said with a sheepish grin. Harry distinctly saw Snape roll his eyes at this, but could only smile when a few of the other members chuckled. "That's all I have to say...I guess."

"Well now, all in favor of Hermione Granger's acceptance into the Order of the Phoenix?" Dumbledore asked. Every single wand in the room went up. "Good!" he exclaimed with a brighter-  
than-usual twinkle. "And I daresay you're much more intellegent than even I," he whispered as Hermione headed back to her seat, causing her cheeks to turn the color of Molly's hair.

"See, I told you you'd be fine," Harry said as she slumped in the chair next to him. "'Most of you surpass my intellect'..." he added with a derisive laugh.

"Well honestly," she said putting her head on his shoulder. "I'm only 17. There's no way I can know as much as some of the people in this room."

"Not as much?" Ron asked, a look of incredulity plastered on his ghostly face. "Dung. That's a load of dung and you know it. I bet you know more than half this room combined. Hell, I'd wager you could outperform Snape in a potion-brewing contest, if it came to that."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Mr. Weasley," came a cold voice from beside them. They turned to see Snape sneering at them.

"Yeah...well..." Ron said as he trailed off.

"All right," said Dumbledore, seeing the tension in the room beginning to increase at this. "Let's move on to new business, shall we?"

"Nothing new on the dragon front," Charlie said from the back of the room. "Looks like You-  
Know-Who finally gave up on trying to get them as creatures to ride into battle on."

"And thank god for that," mumbled Harry, causing a few people to look at him. "Come on, you try evading a fifty foot tall Horntail and see if you want to do it again." The few people who had turned around shrugging, and he distinctly saw Dumbledore give him a wink before continuing.

"Death eater movements?" he asked.

"The same as always," Kingsley said getting up. "There'll be an attack every few days, but they're not adhering to patterns. Though from what we can tell, it looks as if You-Know-Who's planning something big. They're being kind of conservative from what we can tell."

"Any ideas why?" Fred asked from next to his twin.

"Well he's probably got most of them looking for something or another," Kingsley said. "You-  
Know-Who's a nut, you know that. He goes looking for religious wizarding artifacts of importance and doesn't stop until he gets 'em. Almost as bad as that...what was he called? Hitmer?"

"Hitler," corrected Harry.

"Right, him," the black man continued. "Anyways we've got a couple aurors following some death eaters trying to figure out what he's going for now, but Tonks can tell you more on that subject than I can. She's been researching some possibilities." At this Tonks stood and Kingsley sat down.

"Well, based on the information provided to us from our trackers, we can assume that whatever he's looking for is on the Scandinavian Penninsula," she said, taking a piece of parchment from her robes and reading from it. "The most likely cases are that he's either looking for the key to Tromhund Crypt, or he's simply setting up a base and it's a big one."

"Tromhund Crypt?" asked Harry, having no idea what that was.

"I'll explain later," said Hermione, earning a shrug from him.

"Which do you think is more likely?" Snape asked. Tonks sighed at this.

"To be fair, the key is something that everyone's believed to be lost for over five millennia," she said. "I bet he's just setting up base."

"Let us not forget that doubts have never stopped Tom from trying to fulfill his ambitions in the past,' Dumbledore noted. "Is that all?"

"That's about it, yeah," Tonks said sitting back down.

"Well then, if there is no more news?" he looked around the room to see if anyone needed to speak of anything. "Then I must bring attention to something that happened recently." There were murmurs from the Order at this. "As some of you already know, Harry here had a slightly disconcerting dream earlier this week."

"What of?" asked Remus. Dumbledore looked at Harry as if to say, 'It's your job to tell them.'

"I was Voldemort," he said, causing some of the people in the room to flinch. "In a nutshell, I watched two women be force-fed a potion. Then it shifted to who I believe were the same two women, only this time they were screaming bloody murder, then after that I was on a broom high above a forest, watching a battle take place in a castle."

"Hogwarts?" asked George.

'Why does everyone keep asking me that?' he asked Hermione silently, causing her to smile. "No I'm pretty sure it wasn't Hogwarts."

"So you watched these two women get tortured," Arthur said.

"Well, I didn't actually see them get tortured, per se," Harry repied. "But I watched Peter Pettigrew force a potion into their mouths. Then the scene changed and all I remember is the screaming of two women."

"Did you experience the dream from the view of the Dark Lord the entire time, Potter?" asked Snape, much to everyone's surprise. He usually didn't speak at Order meetings unless he was giving a report, or disagreed with something or someone.

"Er..." said Harry, slightly taken aback by his potions teacher's professionalism. "Now that you mention it...I don't think so." Dumbledore looked over to Snape at this. "Only during the first part."

"The part where you watched Peter and the women?" asked Molly.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I was talking about how, 'Blood can be cleaned, or used for better things...'" This seemed to trouble the room.

"Well, what about after that part?" asked McGonagal. "Whom were you seeing it through the eyes of then?"

"The second part...the one with the screaming," Harry said trying to cast his mind back. "I don't think I saw it through anyone's eyes. More like I was watching it happen, without being there." Again, murmurs and disconcerted looks.

"And the third time?"

"I...I was on my Firebolt," he said pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think I saw it through my own eyes." This time, every adult except Snape and the headmaster seemed to let out a breath at this.

"Well...is it safe to assume that he was simply dreaming then?" Remus asked Dumbledore.

"It's possible," he replied. "But there are other theories I will need to discuss with Severus first, he knows a bit more about this subject than I,"

"Vat subject?" asked Krum.

"Divination, of course," replied Dumbledore. "Now then, if we're all on agreement that this is nothing serious?" The room nodded. "Then the meeting is adjourned. Ron, perhaps I could see you after everyone has left?" The people in the room slowly filed out, discussing what had happened during the meeting. Finally, only Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were left.

"Well then, see you later mate," Harry said as he and Hermione turned to leave.

"See you," Ron said as he drifted over to Dumbledore.

"Good luck Ron," Hermione called from the doorway.

"Thanks," he said as Dumbledore sat down. Harry closed the door behind him and the two of them walked back to the Head rooms in silence.

A few minutes later once Hermione had joined Harry in his room, they sat down on the bed lost in thought.

"You didn't tell me that it wasn't all through Voldemort's view," she said after a few minutes.

"I didn't even think of it until tonight," Harry replied. "Why does it matter so much?"

"Well, if Dumbledore is really talking to Snape about Divination..." he stared at her for a moment until he realised what she was talking about.

"Oh you can't be serious," he said, straight out laughing. "Me? Having a vision of the future? After all of those wasted classes with Trelawny?" Hermione shrugged at this. "Ron was right all those years ago. You are mental."

"Stop it," she said with a slight smile as she hit him on the arm.

"What do you reckon Dumbledore wanted to talk to Ron about?" She sighed at this.

"I don't know, but knowing Ron, he'll probably tell us, right?"

"Right," Harry replied as he pulled her close to him. "I think there's a problem here," he said in a low voice.

"What's that?" she asked, looking up into his emerald-colored eyes.

"We have on entirely too much clothing," he said drawing his wand from his robes. Hermione smiled at him.

"I couldn't agree more." And with one flick of the wand, the lights were off. Just like their clothes.

After the initial wave of rumors died down, people stopped talking about 'Harry's episode,' as it had come to be called. He wasn't constantly having to deduct points from houses anymore, but there would still be an occasional stare as he was making his way to classes.

Finally, as the last match of the quidditch season rolled around three months later, people stopped staring at him and concentrated their discussions on who was going to win the cup that year. Slytherin had beaten both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff in convincing fashion, earning them a spot in the finals. Although the Gryffindor team had managed to squeak out wins in their first two games, they still needed a win of at least two hundred points to play for the cup.

So it was to groans of everyone except Ron that Harry announced practise would be taking place for two and a half hours a day, six days a week. Fortunately, no one had complained, and with the constant time on the field, Harry and Ron had managed to turn the replacement keeper and chaser into decent players. Harry made sure he voiced this to everyone at the last practise before the game.

"All right!" he shouted, motioning for everyone to fly over to him. "Listen, you've all done excellent work. I have no doubt, that if we play at the top of our game that we can win two-fifty to zero tomorrow. Because we've made such good progress, I'm ending practise early." There were sighs of relief and 'thank you's' at this. "Make sure to get all the bludgers before we leave the field, then go change and get some rest."

The team did as they were told and went off in search of the two balls they were using (they were practising aggresive defense this time, and had no need for the quaffle or snitch), while Harry landed on the ground next as Ron floated down next to him.

"We've got a good team this year," Ron said. "We should do well."

"I hope so," Harry replied as Hermione came down from the stands to meet him on the field. "Miss me?" he asked as she drew closer.

"Not really," she said with a fake sigh. Harry grinned and pulled her to him in a hug.

"We're going to win this year, Hermione. I can feel it," she said.

"Good," she replied. "I'll be glad when the season is over and I don't have to worry about you being hurt anymore." Harry chuckled at this.

"You know that even if I do get hurt, I always get better," he replied.

"That doesn't make it any easier to swallow," she said.

'Maybe this would help,' Harry said silently as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Ugh, guys I'm right here you know," Ron said groaning. Harry pulled away with a smile but didn't break his eye contact with Hermione.

"Party pooper," he said smiling. Ron simply crossed his arms and grunted at this.

"Ah, crap, it got away...HARRY! BLUDGER!"came the shout of Sloper behind him. He saw Hermione's eyes widen and he turned around to see what was going on, but it would have been better not to. The last thing he saw was the black ball flying straight into his face.

'Harry...please answer me...' Hermione's voice sounded in his head.

'Hermione?' he managed to think clearly through their connection.

"Oh, thank god you're okay!" he heard her shout audibly before she threw her body next to his, her soft arms enveloping him.

"Ugh...what happened?" he managed to groan. There was an incredible ache in his forehead, which prevented him from thinking well.

"Sloper had one of the bludgers but it got away from him," he heard Ron's voice say. "And you turned around to see what was going on and it hit you full in the face."

'Oh great,' Harry thought.

"Harry?" He peeked an eye open to figure out whose voice had said that. His vision slid into focus and he realised that the entire team was standing around his bed.

'Sloper?' he asked Hermione in his thoughts.

"Yes, it's him," she answered. "Tell him what you want to," she said speaking to the beater.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to let it get away from me, but it had been up in the clouds and was kind of slippery and I just –"

'Tell him to be quiet please,' Harry thought.

"Jack, please be quiet for a minute," Hermione said. "Harry has a really bad headache right now."

"How do you know what he's saying?" asked Kirke out of curiosity.

"We have a telepathic link," Hermione said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Just then she saw Madam Pomfrey bustle by the bed. "Madam Pomfrey? He's awake." The nurse nodded and summoned a potion from her room.

"Here, try to swallow," she said as Hermione opened Harry's mouth and the nurse poured the potion in it. With a great deal of effort, he swallowed and felt a burning sensation before feeling his strength come to him, along with a bigger headache.

"Pepper-up potion?" he asked opening his eyes. She nodded as Hermione handed him his glasses.

"You were very lucky, Potter," she said. "I managed to fix the dent in that skull of yours, how it takes so much punishment I'll never know. Lucky for you the bludger hit your forehead, and didn't cause any brain damage or make your glasses shatter back into your eyes."

"There was a dent in my skull?" he asked.

"A small one, but yes," she said. "Honestly, how you get yourself injured so much is beyond me."

"Will I be able to play tomorrow?" he asked. The rest of the team and Ron looked on with anxious expressions waiting for Madam Pomfrey to give her verdict.

"I suppose," she said, causing a sigh of relief to be heard from seven of the other nine people in the room. "But I want you to take this potion every hour until you go back to sleep tonight. You're sleeping here, by the way." She handed him a bottle of brown looking potion. "That's to make sure that your brain doesn't swell up. Take a gobletful each time." Harry nodded and the nurse walked back off to her office.

"Well, we're glad you're feeling better Harry," Ginny said. "Now that we know you're okay, we're going to go and get that rest you told us to get."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. "And Sloper, don't feel bad about it. These things happen." The beater nodded solemnly and walked off with the rest of the team, visibly glad that there was no lasting damage done to Harry.

"Well I'm going to get going too," Ron said. "My bed is calling to me. Besides, I think you two could do with some privacy."

"Thanks Ron," Harry said. The ghost nodded and floated out of the wind. Harry turned to Hermione and could see silent tears running down her cheek. "Listen, Hermione, I'm so sorry.."

"Why?" she asked. "You know I told you how much I hate quidditch, and look at what happened."

"I know...I'm sorry."

"And you weren't even flying! You were just standing there with me!" she cried.

"Hermione –"

"I was holding you in my arms and watched a metal ball slam into your forehead!" she shouted, now banging her fist on his chest, causing him to wince slightly each time she did it. "I thought you were dead..." at this she dissolved into a sobbing mess, and Harry lifted his arm up and brought it around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Listen," he said in a soft voice. "I'm not going anywhere." She looked up at him curiously. "I will not allow myself to be killed while I have you to live for. Not by a bludger. Not by Voldemort."

"I know," she said as silver tears continued to make their way down her face. "I just don't know what I would do if something happened to you, Harry. That's why I get so scared every time you get on that damn broom." He sighed at this, and making a decision, lifted her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"If it scares you that much," he said. "Then I'll quit."

"Don't be silly," she replied, putting her head back down on his chest.

"I'm not," Harry said. "I don't want to see you scared, or hurt, or anything other than happy. So I'll quit."

"You would give up quidditch, for me?" she asked feebly.

"If it meant your happiness, then I'd do it in a heartbeat," he answered. "But you need to understand something."

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I did promise to play tomorrow, and I can't let the team play without a trained seeker," he said. "So with your permission, may I play my last game tomorrow?"

"You don't need my permission to do anything," she said.

"It's a decision we're making together," Harry replied. "Therefore, even if I don't need your permission, I would like it." They stared at each other for a while before Hermione spoke.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" she whispered.

"You were willing to give your life to me for what I believed in," he said. "Just as I would do for you." At this, she broke down into more sobs and held Harry as close as she could.

"You know..." she said, once the sniffles had died down a little bit. "I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"Just like I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he replied.

"This coming from the Boy-Who-Lived," she said, with a grin.

"I wouldn't change a damn thing if it meant I could be with you," Harry said, his own tears starting to form.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked.

"Of course," he said wiping the tears away from his eyes. "Now, are you going to let me play in that quidditch game or not?" Hermione smiled at him.

"I'd have to be a witch to take that away from you," she said.

"You are a witch," he pointed out. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"An evil witch then."

'I don't know,' he said in his head. 'You can do some pretty evil things when you want to...' At this she laughed and closed her eyes.

'You're incorrigible,' she replied. 'But I love it when you play cute.'

'_I_ love it when I can do this,' Harry said in his mind, and pulled her into a soft kiss. A few minutes later, they broke apart and Hermione rested her forehead on Harry's, causing him to wince slightly.

"You make a strong argument," she said, earning a smile from him. "Come on, time to take your potion." Harry sighed and nodded as Hermione conjured a flask and filled it with the brown liquid. He took it from her once it was full and groaned.

"Bottoms up," he said closing his eyes and downing it as quick as he could. "Ugh!" he said, a repulsed expression on his face. "That's almost as bad as Skele-Gro."

"And you get to take it every hour until you fall asleep," Hermione said, causing Harry to groan again.

"I'm going to sleep then," he said, pulling the sheets up around him. To his surprise, Hermione didn't argue, she simply got underneath the sheets with him.

"I'll join you," she said. "After all that crying I'm a little tired."

"I'm sorry about all of this," Harry said.

"There was nothing you could've done," she replied. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight."

"Hermione?" he asked a minute later.

"Yes?" she responded in a sleepy voice.

"I love you."

"You too," she mumbled and she pulled him closer and the two of them drifted off to sleep.

Around two in the morning Madam Pomfrey finally exited her office after writing a nasty report to St. Mungo's on which potions she preferred to use for younger cases. The first thing she saw was Harry asleep with Hermione tucked under his arm next to him. Finding she had neither the heart nor the mind to break them apart, she sighed.

"Young love," she whispered to herself as she walked over to the bedside table, picked up the potion and went back into her office.

"Harry."

"Mmm?" he mumbled.

"Harry!" shouted the voice.

"Go way," he said as he rolled over to face Hermione. "Too early."

"Okay, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Harry inwardly thought that he didn't care what this person was going to do, but that was the only thing he thought before a bucket of ice cold water was dumped onto his head. Or at least that's what it felt like.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" he shouted, getting up as the ghost withdrew his hand from Harry's head. "Don't do that!"

"How else was I supposed to wake you up?" he asked. "You two were too comfortable anyway."

"And that's a crime?" Hermione asked, sitting up in bed groggily. "What time is it?"

"Time for a game of quidditch!" Ron said, obviously in high spirits. "You ready, Harry?"

"Yeah, lemme just go get changed..."

"No need, Ginny's bringing your stuff down in a minute, you can change here and then we can head out to the pitch," Ron said.

"Listen, Ron, I need to talk to you about something," Harry said.

"And we're going to crush Hufflepuff today...I know it –"

"Ron!"

"What?" the ghost asked, being torn away from his rambling.

"I'm quitting after this game," Harry said.

"That's great," he said. "Anyways, I think – YOU WHAT?!"

"I'm quitting," Harry repeated. "I don't want to go around getting hurt like yesterday again."

"But...but Harry, it's only one more game in the season, and that's only if we win by a two hundred today –"

"I'm not just talking about the season, Ron," he said. "I mean forever. No more pickup games with you and the guys at the Burrow, no professional quidditch career if it were to be offered to me, no anything." Ron just stood there with his mouth agape, and then suddenly he turned on Hermione.

"You..." he said in a deadly whisper. "You did this...didn't you?"

"What?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Hermione had nothing to do with this," Harry said, trying to stop the row before it even started.

"How could you do this?!" Ron shouted. "Harry loves quidditch, it's one of the only things left that he loves, and you're just taking it away from him!"

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Harry, seeing tears form in Hermione's eyes. "Ron, I love Hermione more than quidditch, and this was my decision, not hers." The ghost seemed taken aback at this revelation. "How would you feel if Luna had gotten injured on one of her missions to find a Pimple-Corned Snorkack, or whatever they're called."

"...I wouldn't have wanted her to go again," a defeated Ron said after hesitation.

"Exactly," said Harry. "So Hermione and I talked about, and after today, I'm done." Ron only nodded as Ginny walked through the doors with Harry's quidditch robes and broom in hand.

"How're you feeling Harry?" she asked in a chipper tone as she set his gear down on the bed next to him. "What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the solemn atmosphere in the room.

"I'll tell the entire team when we're in the locker room," he said. "Let's get going."

After Harry changed and endured a short checkup by Madam Pomfrey to make sure everything was in order, the four teens made their way down to the quidditch pitch, where Hermione departed to her seat in the stands after giving Harry a quick kiss.

"_Please_ be careful today," she said, in almost a begging tone.

"I will," said Harry. None of the three spoke as they walked to the locker room. When they got there, the team was already assembled and waiting.

"Hey guys," said Harry as Ginny took her seat alongside the team. "Listen, there's something I need to say." The ears of everyone on the team perked up at this; usually pre-game speeches started off on a more upbeat note.

"Well?" asked Thompson after Harry didn't continue. Harry smiled and nodded.

"Today will be the last time I play quidditch," he said. There was a murmur from the team at this.

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"I mean that this will be my last game, regardless on whether or not we make the finals." The murmurs quickly turned into an uproar.

"WHAT?!"

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"WHO'LL BE CAPTAIN?!"

"Quiet....QUIET!" Harry shouted, causing everyone to stop yelling. "First of all, it's my decision to make, so yes, I _can_ do it. Second, Ginny will take over as captain once I'm gone. Third, I will be joining Ron as coach for the remainder of the year, although I won't be coming into the air during practices with you anymore. Now, does anyone still have a dispute?"

There was silence until Ginny looked up and smiled.

"We'll miss you," she said.

"And I'll miss playing," Harry replied. "But it's for the best." The team nodded sadly at this. "Hey!" he shouted, getting all of them to jump. "That doesn't mean we get to play like a bunch of bums today. Just because I won't be playing in the finals, doesn't mean I won't be playing in this game." There were nods at this. "So what I say, is that we go out there, and give me a reason to stay on as coach. Let's go out there, and make my last game one that Hogwarts will remember forever." This last sentence was met with cheers and Harry couldn't help but smile at them. "Now everyone up! On three, lion pride! One, two, three!"

"LION PRIDE!" the team roared as Seamus could be heard with his 'Sonorous' enhanced voice, shouting out the pre-game annoucements.

"C'mon," said Ron, causing the seven players to look at him. "We do have a game to play, or would you prefer to just sit around all day like a bunch of lazy bums?"

"That's my coach," Harry said with a grin, and they made their way out onto the pitch to tumultuous applause from the Gryffindor section. Sadly, Ravenclaw was supporting Hufflepuff today, they would be the ones in the finals if Gryffindor didn't overcome the 200-point margin.

'Co-coach?' Hermione asked in his brain as Harry mounted his broom.

'You don't mind, do you?' he asked.

'As long as I'm there with you to keep you out of trouble,' she replied. Harry turned and waved to her in the crowds as Seamus announced the players. He had just finished when he suddenly cleared his throat.

"I've...er...just been informed...' he began, holding the pause to create suspense. 'That this will be Harry Potter's last quidditch game.' The noise in the stadium immediately died down and Harry buried his face in his hands. Only the mocking jeers of some Slytherins could be heard in the distance.

'It wasn't me,' said Hermione's voice.

"In that case, let us give Harry a big round of applause for all the incredible quidditch that he has given to us for the past seven years!" shouted Seamus, trying to get the crowd back into it. Immediately the entire Gryffindor section burst into screams and applause, while the other three sections remained fairly quiet. However, when the cheering didn't die down, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs gave up and joined in too. Smiling, Harry looked around him and gave the crowd a salute before Madam Hooch finally kicked open the chest of balls.

"All right everyone," she said as the bludgers and snitch flew away. "Captains, shake hands." Harry stepped forward and shook hands with Justin Finch-Fletchley. "Mount your brooms!" she shouted as the two returned to their respective sides. "On my whistle, three, two, one..." she gave a shrill blast and fifteen brooms rose into the air, the quaffle right behind them.

All in all, it was the fastest game anyone had ever seen. The Gryffindor team was so full of drive, that Hufflepuff didn't know what hit them (besides bludgers). Within thirty seconds it was 20-0, within a minute it was 40-0, and by the time they were two minutes in Gryffindor was leading 70-0 and Harry had already spotted the snitch and was bolting after it. The game ended ten seconds later to deafening applause from the Gryffindor section.

As Harry sat on his broom above the pitch, he couldn't help but remember all the wonderful memories he had playing the game. First year, when Quirrell had jinxed his broom, resulting in him nearly swallowing the snitch. Second year, the first time he ever beat Malfoy. Third year, winning the cup, then fifth and sixth year where he got to deck Malfoy in at least one game each of those years. A sad smile on his face, Harry rose the hand that was still holding onto the snitch into the air like he had done for the first time all those years ago and did a lap of victory around the field to applause from everyone except the Slytherins this time.

Landing back on the ground, he couldn't help the tears that came from his eyes as he realised that would be the last time he would ever play the game. Dumbledore and Hermione were walking towards him through the crowd of Gryffindors that had jumped the barrier and stormed onto the field.

Pulling Hermione into a hug without saying a word, he looked up at the headmaster and smiled.

"You were the one who told Seamus, weren't you?" he asked. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

"I do try to –"

"Keep watch of everything that happens in the school," Harry finished for him. "I know."

"You played marvelously, Harry," he said, an old smile showing through his waist-long beard.

"Here sir," Harry said handing him the snitch. "I think Madam Hooch went back to the locker rooms already." Dumbledore looked at the golden ball resting in the palm of his hand, and reaching out, curled Harry's fingers back around it.

"I believe," he said. "That this one may be yours to keep." Harry shed one last tear of thanks and nodded to the headmaster before the crowd finally broke through the professors and swamped Harry in a tide of congratulations.

---------------

I hope you all liked that one. I stayed up until 5:30 this morning writing it. I think it may be one of my personal favorites, so please let me know how you feel in regard to that. I'm too tired to post another phrase in a different language this time, so sorry to those of you who were looking forward to that. So from Framingham, MA, until next time.


	19. Their Worst Fear

Maybe I should have Harry make life altering decisions more often. Twelve reviews in one day...that's a record for me. Even though I'm including the flame in that. I was expecting a few people to complain/be sad about Harry's decision to quit quidditch, but I never expected that ALL OF MY REVIEWS save one or two would be of that nature. Therefore, I award pumpkin pie to PurpleStarz, who was the only one who actually saw the true purpose of his decision.

I said that I would explain the decision to have Harry give up quidditch, so here it is. His decision to quit quidditch was NOT a plot twist, it was NOT ooc, and the one thing that no one seems to understand is that Hermione DID NOT ask or force him in any way to quit. In both instances where his quitting was discussed (Chapters 13 and 18), Hermione clearly said that she was not asking him to quit. There is no hidden meaning or intent involving her. She meant what she said.

Let me reiterate that. She did not ask him to quit.

There, do we have that yet? Good. Harry quit of his own accord, because of HIS love for Hermione. As I'm sure many of you know, lots of fics use the premise that Harry cannot stand to see Hermione shed tears, this one more than not. I'll spoil a little bit and reveal that deep down Harry was getting sick of injuries, but that's all I'm saying that involves the plot.

And speaking of plot, his quitting IS relevant to the overall storyline, though the reason won't show itself until Part III (ok, so I said a bit more involving the plot, so sue me).

As for the action of him quitting being OOC, we need to remember that these are fics. Everything anyone does or writes about in the entire fandom world is technically OOC, unless someone miraculously duplicates one of the future books. JKR created, wrote, and owns the canon. Therefore, saying that his action is OOC is true, but not in the sense that you people make it out to be. As for the fact that it's fairly un-like Harry to do something like that...you have no proof. Now, if we were talking about...let's say...Ron, for example, THEN that would be skewing off on a tangent. Simply think of it like this. Harry's love for Hermione is greater than his love for quidditch (which I even mentioned in Chapter 3). Just remember, she didn't make him choose between them, he chose on his own accord. And since it's my story anyway, not much you people can do about it ;)

Now see! You got me rambling for a whole page of author's notes. Secretly, I'm willing to bet that half the people who read the story don't even read what I just wrote too lol. Cheers and enjoy the chapter!

And on an upside, I broke personal review records for Chapter 18. So thanks for that lol.

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Chapter 19: Their Worst Fear

Needless to say, the party that took place in the Gryffindor common room following the game was of legendary proportions. All the old banners that students had made over the years came out and were hung among the rafters of the room. Bottles upon bottles of Ogden's Finest were shipped in from the Room of Requirement to cheers and hurrahs from all the students (Hermione also begrudgingly partook in the imbibing of some of the alcohol). Even a few house-elves led by Dobby made an appearance to congratulate Harry and present him with an oversized flat-pan cake with, 'We'll miss you' written in emerald green frosting on it. A few of the students even started a petition to get Harry's number retired by the Gryffindor Team. They brought this to the attention of Professor McGonagal when she came to break up the party around 3 in the morning.

"I'll consider it," was the reply they got before she quickly cast sobering charms on everyone and demanded that they go to bed. Groans and whines filled the room at this, but the Transfiguration teacher was adamant, and before long everyone but Harry and Hermione had gone to their respective dorms.

"Er...hello Professor," Harry said, glancing around the common room which, now empty, looked as if a twister had touched down there.

"Hello, Potter," she said. "Don't you think as Head Boy and Girl you could've at least made the effort to keep the common room clean?" Both Harry and Hermione turned a slight red at this and proceeded to turn their gazes to their shoes.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Sorry," she said more clearly. "We all got caught up in the moment, what with Harry retiring and all." They looked up and saw a brief smile on McGonagal's face before it disappeared.

"Well, no matter," she said sighing. "I'll have the elves clean it up while you're asleep." Harry and Hermione nodded. "You two better get some rest. I expect that you'll need to be on your toes tomorrow after all the celebrating tonight." The two teens nodded and the deputy headmistress turned and walked out of the room through the portrait hole.

"Wow," said Harry looked around. "We really ransacked this place, huh?"

"Yeah," said Hermione with a disappointed look on her face. "But I'm sure that tomorrow it'll be good as new."

"Well come on then," he said looking at her. "Let's get some sleep." With a small smile, Hermione grabbed his hand and they walked off to their respective rooms.

Sleep overtook each of them rather quickly, but for all the partying and the exhaustion of quidditch, Harry failed to drift into a deep sleep.

It was a different room from the last time. Harry was sitting in a chair by a dying fire, a snake lying peacefully next to the hearth. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, causing both figures to look towards it.

"Enter," Harry said. A tall man in black robes opened the old oak door and stepped through, closing it behind him.

"You called for me, my lord?" he asked, bowing at Harry's feet.

"Yes...." Harry hissed. "I have an assignment for you, Lucius."

"What is your bidding?"

"Wormtail has extracted a necessary piece of information," Harry said. "Begin assembling your death eaters to capture what we need."

"Yes, master," Lucius said.

"We still do not have the date yet, so for the time being, keep them...in shape."

"Is there anything else, master?" he asked after showing a slight smile. Harry thought for a moment.

"Hmm...fetch him for me actually," he said.

"Wormtail?" Malfoy asked. Harry nodded. Without raising his head, Lucius backed out of the room, though not closing the door this time. A moment later a rat scurried into the room as fast as its legs could carry it, and transformed into Peter Pettigrew.

"Y-y-y-es, my lord?" he asked, not daring to raise his head.

"Look at me, Wormtail," Harry said. He raised his head just enough so that their eyes met, and Peter visibly shivered. "You have done well."

"T-thank you, master."

"You have succeeded where others never would have, and for that, I am pleased."

"Y-yes, my lord."

"You will be in charge here while Lucius is away."

"You are too kind," Wormatil said, still in the groveling position.

"Probably," came the response. "Now leave me in peace." Peter backed out of the room and shut the door behind him as Harry took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

All of a sudden he felt an intrusion into his mind, and his eyes snapped open.

"Potter...," he hissed. "How nice of you to join me. How much have you seen tonight? Well no matter, thankfully I haven't shown you any details of what's to come...yet. But you must forgive me, I'm a bit tired tonight. Some other time I'll torture you with memories of your godfather's death again."

Harry instantaneously woke in a cold sweat, and sat straight up in bed.

"Harry?" Hermione mumbled next to him. "What's wrong?"

"I had another dream..." he said, fumbling with the covers. Instantly Hermione was fully awake and out of the bed.

"Well?" she asked when he didn't make a move to get up. "Are you coming?"

"I just...there was something different this time," he said. "Voldemort actually felt my presence and spoke to me." Her eyes widened at this revelation.

"What did he say?" she asked, after some hesitation.

"Nothing really, just that it didn't matter what I'd seen, because there was no way I could know what was coming."

"We should still go and see Dumbledore," she said pulling on her shirt. With a sigh, Harry got up and quickly got dressed before they left the Head Boy room.

Thankfully they didn't run into any late-night studiers this time, and made it safely to the headmaster's office without encountering anyone. This time, Harry didn't wait for an answer to do open the door after he knocked, he simply barged in and found Dumbledore feeding Fawkes.

"I take it you've had another dream?" he asked without turning.

"How did you know it was us?" Harry asked.

"Who else would barge into my office at this time of night?" the headmaster replied, looking at his twelve-handed watch. "My mistake, at this time of morning."

"Er...sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Apology accepted," Dumbledore said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now, what happened in your dream this time?"

"Well I had summoned Lucius to me," Harry began. "I told him that Wormtail had gotten some kind of information, and to keep his team of death eaters in shape." At this, Dumbledore's expression grew grave, and he whispered something to Fawkes before the phoenix disappeared in a burst of flames.

Neither student spoke after this, and when it became apparent that they were too confused to say something, the headmaster broke the silence.

"You're wondering what I just sent Fawkes off for?" he asked. Harry and Hermione nodded slightly. "Tell me, what do you think Voldemort means when he says, 'keep the death eaters in shape?'"

"Oh," Harry said grimly. "Right."

"Please continue," Dumbledore said.

"Well after that, I...Voldemort, that is, had him fetch Wormtail for him, and he told him he was pleased." Harry said continuing. "Then I told him to leave. I mean he told him to leave."

"Is that all?" the headmaster asked.

"...no," he answered after some hesitation. "Voldemort felt my presence in his mind, and spoke to me."

At this, Dumbledore looked up at Harry, dread replacing the usual twinkle in his eyes.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"That it didn't matter what I'd seen, because there was no way I could know what was coming," Harry said. At this, the triumphant gleam that Harry had only seen that one night in the distant past after he told the headmaster about Voldemort's use of blood in the resurrection potion appeared in his eyes again.

"And that," he said. "Is why we have the upper hand." Harry and Hermione looked at each other following this statement.

"Sorry sir," Hermione said. "But what do you mean?"

"Simply because Harry probably _does_ know what's coming," Dumbledore replied.

"How could I?" he asked. Instead of answering Harry straightly, the headmaster gave him another question.

"What about the dream you had a few months ago?" Harry snorted at this.

"And divination?" he asked. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that I Saw something."

"I actually think it's highly likely," came the answer. If there had been no joint that connected the jaw to the rest of the skull, Harry's and Hermione's would more than likely have been on the floor after that sentence.

"You must be joking," Harry said, finding his voice again.

"Not in the least," Dumbledore replied. "As surprising as it may seem, the Sight exists in everyone. Well, all wizards, at the least. It's those who learn to harness it that become Seers."

"But Trelawney said –"

"_Professor_ Trelawney," interrupted Dumbledore, "while having produced two prophecies, is not a very gifted Seer. She may possess some form of the ability to harness the Sight, but cannot frequently do so accurately. She also has many incorrect beliefs, the idea that not everyone has some form of the Sight being one of them."

"So what you're saying is that I saw the future?" Harry asked. Dumbledore contemplated this question for a moment

"Maybe," he finally answered. "The day after your dream, I checked all sources of information I had, wizard and muggle alike. No one had gone missing that night. On the other hand you simply could've had a nightmare."

"So then," Harry said turning to Hermione. "It could've been you."

"I'm afraid that that is a very real possibility," the headmaster said. "But since Tom is of the belief that you do not know what his plans are, we can use this to our advantage."

"What ARE his plans then?" Harry asked, growing impatient.

"More than likely to kidnap Hermione. Don't forget she's still his main way of getting to you." Harry fell silent at this and didn't speak afterwards. "Surely you haven't forgotten that?"

"No," he said. "But I'd like to imagine it isn't true."

"Don't you dare start blaming yourself again," Hermione warned. Harry pulled her close into a hug at this.

"I won't," he said. "But I can't lose you."

"You'll never lose me," she said reassuringly.

"Perhaps it would be best if you went back to sleep," Dumbledore said.

"What do we do about this?" Harry asked.

"I will inform the rest of the Order what has happened," he said. "For now, all we can do is keep a close watch on our surroundings, and make sure anything out of the ordinary is reported." The teens nodded at this and left the office, neither saying (or thinking) anything until they were once again tucked underneath the covers of the bed in Harry's room.

"Please don't blame yourself for this," Hermione said, reading Harry's thoughts.

"It's really hard not to," he replied. "After all, you wouldn't be on top of his hit list if it weren't for me."

"If it weren't me then it would be someone else you really cared for," she said. "Like Remus."

"I suppose," he sighed.

"C'mon," she said snuggling up close to him. "There's nothing to be worried about."

"There's plenty to be worried about, according to Dumbledore," Harry said, putting on arm around her. "I'm not letting you out of my sight from now on." Hermione smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

"Now that's not so bad, is it?"

"Not really, I guess," he said with a smile.

"You guess?" she huffed.

"Fine, I know," he replied grinning.

"Better."

Although everyone in the Order was keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, no one saw anything out of the ordinary happen in the following weeks. A few death eaters had been caught trying to torture muggles (the most notable of the captures was the day after the dream, the Order thanked Harry greatly afterwards), but that wasn't out of the ordinary considering the current situation.

Classes were progressing normally, although the workload was increasing since NEWT's were approaching, and Ron made a point of gloating about his ghostly status one night in the common room while Harry was doing homework.

"I'll tell ya," he said from over Harry's shoulder. "It really pays to be dead. Not having homework is a godsend."

"Do you mind?" Harry asked as he scribbled a sentence for his charms essay.

"Oh fine," Ron said with a smile as he floated over to the couch and drifted into a seated position. "Did you hear about the Hogsmeade weekend that's coming up on Saturday?"

"Hmm?" Harry asked as the last of the students made their way upstairs to bed.

"They posted an announcement for it in the Great Hall today," Hermione said from her seat by the fire. "Didn't you see it?"

"Er...." Truth be told, Harry had been paying attention to the smell of strawberries that was coming from Hermione's hair when they had entered the Great Hall for their meals that day, and hadn't noticed the big group of students gathered around the announcement board.

'Well I'm glad you noticed it,' she said silently. 'It's a new shampoo.'

'How come I didn't see it in the shower?' he asked. Ever since their return from the past, they had taken to showering (and frequently doing more) together every morning in his bathroom, so she had moved all of her toiletries in there immediately following their arrival.

'I charmed my old one,' she replied. 'It made more sense than going out and spending money.' Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her ingeniousness.

"Are you two talking to each other in your heads again?" Ron asked, having witnessed the facial expressions they made during the silence.

"Yeah," said Harry resuming his writing.

"Stop doing that already!" Ron said. "I want to know what you guys talk about if it's a secret." At this, Harry put down his quill and turned to face the ghost.

"No, you don't," he said with an evil grin that would've made the Marauders proud.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Ron shivering. "I really don't need those images planted in my mind, thank you very much.

"You and Harry's mom have something in common, then," Hermione said, blushing slightly.

"I'm not going to ask," Ron said.

"Well, I'm done with this," Harry said tiredly as he rolled up his work. "I'm going to go put this in my room. I'll be back in a minute." Hermione and Ron nodded as he made his way up to the Head Boy's room and placed his work on his dresser. Sighing, he glanced at the Marauder's Map which lay on the top of his trunk. He walked over to it and grabbed it before heading back down to the common room.

"What's that for?" Ron asked as Harry took a seat on the couch next to him.

"Felt like doing some old fashioned spying," he said after he activated the map. "Besides, it can't hurt to keep an eye on things."

"Suppose not," Ron said. "Well let's see then, who out and breaking the rules?"

Ron and Harry had fun for half an hour or so, especially seeing couples of students in hidden places in the castle. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle to herself every once in a while at the way the boys were behaving as if they were thirteen again.

Finally, they decided to pack it in. Harry was just about done folding up the map when a movement on the parchment caught his attention. Flipping the map open so he could see the name of the person, he saw the one thing that he hoped would never grace the pages of the Marauder's Map again.

Peter Pettigrew was currently in the Great Hall.

"Ron, Hermione, you need to come with me right now," Harry said getting up from the couch and drawing his wand.

"What are you –" Ron began, but quickly silenced when Harry showed him the map. Hermione, who was wondering what was going on, walked behind the ghost and glanced over his shoulder, before her eyes widened and she too drew her wand.

"We have to go," Harry said. "Now." Without another word, the three of them sped off out of the common room and into the hallway.

Unfortunately, they were only halfway to the Great Hall when the dot labeled 'Peter Pettigrew' suddenly moved and quickly sped out of the castle onto the Hogwarts Grounds. Not ten seconds later was he off the map.

"Damnit!" Harry cursed, slowing his pace.

"What?" asked Hermione coming up behind him.

"He left," Harry said showing her and Ron the map. Ron sighed.

"Well, nothing to do but go see Dumbledore, then." The other two nodded and they changed their course towards the stone gargoyle, but as they approached the statue, it jumped aside and Professor Snape came out followed by Dumbledore.

"Ah," the headmaster said seeing the map in Harry's hands, while Snape merely gave a small scowl. "You may come with us." Without speaking, the five of them went off towards the Great Hall, and when they got there, Filch was standing inside holding Mrs. Norris.

"Well Argus?" Dumbledore asked.

"I didn't see 'im, headmaster," the caretaker growled. "But Mrs. Norris saw him as a rat, scurrying out of 'ere onto the grounds." The aged wizard nodded at this.

"I assume," he said turning to the three students. "That you saw Peter on the map?" Harry nodded and handed it to him. He lowered his half-moon spectacles to look at it for a moment.

"Hey...wait a minute," Filch said. "Tha' map is supposed to be in my office!"

"You honestly didn't notice it was gone before now?" Ron asked, eyes wide. "My brothers nicked that thing in their first year!" Filch let out a low growl at this.

"Well it doesn't look like we can do anything to catch him now," Dumbledore said. "Do we know why he was here?" The other five people remained silent at this, causing the headmaster to sigh. "Very well. Then for the time being all we can do is remain on high alert. I believe this is yours, Harry," he finished, handing the map back to him.

"You aren't going to let 'im keep the thing?!" Filch exclaimed.

"I see no reason in keeping it from him Argus, especially since he uses it to help with his Head Boy duties." Filch grumbled at this. "Well now, if there's nothing else to be discussed, let's all head back to our respective places of residence then, shall we?" They all walked out into the Entrance Hall, and Filch stalked off with his cat, murmuring something along this lines of, 'How that damn kid got to be Head Boy...' while Dumbledore and Snape each walked off in opposite directions, leaving the three students standing there alone.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked.

"I have no idea," Harry replied looking at the map, which was now devoid of names on the grounds except for 'Hagrid' which was currently in his hut. "Whatever it is, it can't be good."

They re-entered the common room a few minutes later and sat down on the couch to think. Because they were the only ones up, there was relative silence in the room with the exception of the occasional crackle from the fireplace until Ron spoke up.

"So, I'm not going be around for a while after Thursday," he said.

"How come?" asked Hermione, startled from her thoughts by that statement.

"Remember a few months back at that Order meeting, Dumbledore asked to talk to me afterwards in private?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "We've been meaning to ask you about that."

"Well Dumbledore wants me to try and get the ghosts to fight on our side," Ron said. "Said he's asked, but they've always said no in the past. Something about, 'The dead do not care about the worries of the living,' or something like that."

"So he wants you to represent us?" Hermione asked.

"Kinda, I'm leaving with him to go and try to talk them into it," he replied. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Just wanted to let you guys know."

"Thanks," said Harry. "Does Ginny know?"

"I told her earlier and sent a letter home to the family yesterday," Ron said. "Everyone seems okay with it."

"Well we wish you the best of luck, Ron," Hermione said.

"Thanks," the ghost replied. "I get the feeling I'm going to need it."

The rest of the week passed without another incident, and the Saturday trip to Hogsmeade was soon upon them. Harry and Hermione hadn't been going on the scheduled trips, as there was frequently quidditch practice scheduled on Saturdays. However, with Ron gone, Harry decided to give the team a break from practicing for the finals and decided to go into the village with Hermione instead. Ginny had also needed to stop in the town for something, and the two Heads quickly agreed to letting her tag along.

"Wow, they really rebuilt this place good, huh?" asked Harry as they walked into Honeydukes.

"That's right, you guys haven't been here since last year," Ginny commented, as Harry and Hermione nodded. "Yeah, apparently Dumbledore gave them enough money to rebuild the shop and get all their stock back. I kinda like the new place, actually."

"It's still wonderful," Hermione said as Harry paid for a small box of chocolate frogs. "Ready to go?"

"Sure thing," he said and the three of them walked out onto the main street.

A lot had changed since the battle that had taken place there nearly a year before. All of the buildings were standing upright instead of crooked like they used to (something that Dumbledore had helped pay for after all the damage that had been done), and the road was now cobblestone instead of dirt, giving a better overall feeling to the place. Harry was disturbed from his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"So this is vat the place looks like," Krum said. "I haff never been here before."

"Professor," said Harry extending his hand, which Krum shook. "You've never been here before?"

"No," he replied. "But I needed to stock up on parchment, so I'm heading over to that shop now."

"What a coincidence," Hermione said. "We're heading over there too."

"We are?" asked Harry, not having been notified of these plans.

"Of course, I need a new tip for my quill; all the homework we've been getting has made it extremely dull."

"Oh all right," Harry said. "I assume you're with Hermione on this, Ginny?"

"Yeah, I want to pick up a present for my friend," she said with a wink. "It's his birthday soon."

"Oh, do you haff a suitor?" Krum asked, making Harry suppress a laugh.

"Mmmm, maybe," Ginny said in a girlish voice. Harry had to hand it to her, she and Draco had done a remarkable job of keep their relationship a secret. To the best of his knowledge, no one aside from him, Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore knew of it. They walked over to Scrivenshaft's and entered.

Hermione and Ginny walked off towards the quills, while Harry and Viktor walked over to where they kept the stacks of parchment.

"So," Viktor said, "How are things?"

"The same," Harry said, as the bell to the shop rung to signify someone had come in. He turned to look and see who it was, but no one was there. Perhaps someone had simply left the shop. "Big ol' madman out there trying to off me and the ones I love."

"Yes..." Krum said. "Speaking of which, how are you and Hermy-own-ninne?" Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

"We're doing great, I'm just worried that someone is going to try and hurt her to get to me."

"I'm sure you von't let anything happen," Krum said as he selected a parchment and took a stack about a foot thick with him. At the same time the girls came around the corner of the aisle with their purchases.

"All set?" asked Harry.

"Mm hmm," replied Hermione. The four of them walked up towards the register where there was a man in a black cloak waiting for the clerk. When the clerk didn't show up for five minutes, Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"Excuse me," he asked. "Do you know where the clerk is?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," came the cold voice of the stranger. Harry knew that voice. He quickly reached for his wand but it was too late. Lucius had already cursed him and Krum with a simple 'Petrificus!' and there was nothing he or his professor could do but watch as four other death eaters came from the back room and stunned the girls.

"You gave us quite a runaround on the train," Lucius said to Harry as his minions tied rags around the girls wrists and were portkeyed away. "But you failed to protect the mudblood and the weasel this time." He turned to Krum. "A pitiful excuse for a quidditch player, anyway." He turned to leave as his remaining death eaters apparated away.

"You would think," he said. "That it would've been harder to capture her. Apparently Dumbledore is starting to slack off a bit. Pity that you won't be able to hear her scream during her death." With that he disapparated, leaving Harry and Krum stranded alone in the shop. A few minutes later, Dumbledore burst into the shop followed by a majority of the staff, and quickly freed Harry and Krum from their petrification. Harry didn't remember much as Filch and Snape lifted him off the ground and carried him out of the shop, only the word that escaped his mouth as they re-entered Hogwarts.

"Hermione..."

---------------

That's it. I know it was a little short, but there wasn't anything that needed to be said other that what happened. Nothing else to say right now, hope you enjoyed it. Look for the next chapter next week. Until then, let your speculation rule your mind.


	20. The Search Begins

Hmm, you all are frustrated with my cliffhanger, methinks. Well sorry to break it to you, but you're getting another one at the end of this chapter. I personally don't think it's as suspenseful at last week's, but it's up there.

And to my great surprise, there is nothing else to say this time. So read on!

---------------

Chapter 20: The Search Begins

Harry woke and tried to remember where he was. He was surrounded by white.

'I don't think I'm dead,' he thought as he squinted at the bright light. Instinctively he reached around for his glasses and felt them being placed in his right hand. Putting them on he realised he was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

Then it all came rushing back to him.

Scrivenshaft's...Lucius petrifying him and Krum...the look of terror on Hermione's face when she was stunned...the emptiness that filled his mind once she was unconscious. He still remembered her last thought before the stunner hit her.

'Harry...save me...'

With a rage that consumed every fiber in his body, he bolted from the bed and made to go after Voldemort right then and there, but found himself hurtled back into the bed by an unknown force.

"You know I can't let you leave like that, Harry," Dumbledore said from beside him.

"Let me go," he said in a tone that was so soft and dangerous, it might've crumbled the resolve of any man except the one in front of him.

"I can't do that," the headmaster said. "You'll get killed."

"Then I'll die!" Harry shouted. "I will NOT sit here while Hermione is suffering!"

"Do you think she would appreciate you getting killed while trying to save her?"

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but found no logical answer coming from his mind. So instead he simply covered his face with his hands and broke down tears.

"I failed..." he said into his hands. "I promised her that I would always protect her and I broke my promise."

"It was not a promise that could have been kept, given the state of things," Dumbledore said gravely. Harry looked up at him. "It's not your –"

"If you tell me it's not my fault one more time, there's going to be a disagreement," Harry interrupted in a voice that clearly stated he would attempt to hex the headmaster.

"You know it's true though."

Harry felt the same anger that he felt at the end of his fifth year welling up inside him at Dumbledore again. The air in the room suddenly became heavy and a few of the windows shattered before Harry's emotions grew calm.

"Sorry," he said, glancing around him. Dumbledore simply shrugged and repaired the damage with a wave of his wand. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's the truth," he answered. "The fault is with Voldemort ordering her kidnapped, and Lucius for carrying out that order."

"I know that," Harry spat impatiently. "But I didn't keep her from being taken. She's suffering right now because I wasn't fast enough." Dumbledore sighed.

"I suppose you could look at it like that," he said thoughtfully. Harry's head snapped up; he hadn't expect the headmaster to agree with him on something like this. "Yes, because you are friends, because you are lovers, your commitment to her is greater than it would be to anyone else."

"Thanks for agreeing with me," Harry said dejectedly.

"I am not agreeing with you, Harry," the aged wizard corrected. "I'm merely stating a fact. If Hermione were to injure herself in, say for example, an automobile accident while you were a hundred miles away, would you blame yourself?"

"No," he answered quickly. "But what does that have to do with this?"

"Everything," Dumbledore replied. "Something happened that was beyond your control. You were simply close to her when it happened."

"I could've reacted quicker to Lucius –"

"Harry, although it appears you had a vision of the future, I highly doubt you are a Seer, and therefore had no way to know the man in the cloak was Lucius," the headmaster said. "He was ready, and you simply weren't."

"I wonder what Moody would say," Harry scoffed.

"Probably nothing, considering what happened," Dumbledore said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well it is highly suspicious that Lucius had you petrified, yet didn't attempt to take you with him," he said. "A perfect opportunity to present you to the Dark Lord in a petrified state, where he could kill you without much difficulty."

As Harry thought about it, it did make sense. Why would Lucius just leave him there? Krum for that matter too? As Harry thought about it, he could only arrive at one conclusion, and from the look on Dumbledore's face, he knew he was right without even asking.

"He knows the prophecy, doesn't he?"

"Given the situation, almost certainly," Dumbledore said. "It's the only possible excuse. Which also means," the headmaster said with a slight smile, "that there is a bit of good news out of all of this."

"What's that?"

"He doesn't know how to kill you." Harry stayed silent for a moment after this.

"How could he not?" he asked, finally managing to voice his questions again. "How come he couldn't just fire an Avada Kedavra at me while I was petrified and be done with it?"

"Because now that you and Hermione discovered that you have your link, your soul is intertwined with hers," Dumbledore said. "With the added protection of your mother, the spell wouldn't be able to kill you."

"But he has the same protection," Harry said. "He has my blood."

"But the protection is foreign to him," the headmaster replied. "He may be able to touch you, but that's the extent of the benefit your blood provides him with. Yes, an Avada Kedavra cast by him would certainly cause you, along with Hermione, excruciating pain, more so than the Cruciatus Curse. But no matter how many times he could cast it, it would never kill you." Harry gulped at the thought of something more painful than the torture curse. "Which is why he wants Hermione."

"I thought he wanted her to get at me," Harry said in confusion.

"That's part of it," Dumbledore said. "But there is another, more important reason." The realisation hit Harry instantly like a ton of bricks.

'_Blood can be cleaned, or used for better things...'_

"My god," Harry breathed in a voice just above a whisper. "He wants her blood." Dumbledore nodded.

"Because of your connection, he believes that if he has Hermione's blood, he will be able to get past the barrier that protects you."

"Will that work?" Harry asked. The wrinkles on the headmaster's brow creased in thought at this.

"No," he finally said. "But it won't stop the potion he gives Hermione and Ginny from killing them." Harry nodded grimly at this.

"So why didn't he take Krum?" he asked.

"Although Voldemort's intelligence is not the greatest in the world, he does know that the more people you keep captured, the greater the risk of one of them escaping."

"And if one escapes, they can help the others," Harry finished.

"Exactly," Dumbledore said nodding. "Not to mention the fact that Viktor is a very skilled wizard. More so than a lot of Tom's death eaters, I'd imagine."

Harry nodded glumly, when a thought occurred to him.

"I thought you were with Ron for the ghost meeting," he said.

"I was," Dumbledore replied. "But when Fawkes came and told me what had happened, I hastened to your side. Ronald is still talking with them; having one person argue our views is better than none." Harry nodded. "Get some rest, Harry. You're going to need all of your strength in the following days."

With that, the headmaster exited the hospital wing, leaving Harry there with his thoughts.

Two days later Harry was still in the hospital wing. Apparently he had fallen into shock after Hermione had been kidnapped. Madam Pomfrey had told him that, as usual, he would be fine, but he needed to stay for a bit. She was in the middle of giving Harry a checkup after he had eaten dinner one evening, when the doors to the ward opened and none other than Krum walked in.

"Professor," Harry said with a slight nod.

"Harry," he replied sitting down next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"As well as I can, I suppose," Harry said. "I'm worried."

"And vith good reason," Krum replied. "I vanted to apologize."

"For what?" asked Harry, brow furrowed.

"I'm your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and yet I vas unable to defend you from the dark arts."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said with a dismissive wave. "It wasn't your fault."

"I am at as much fault as you are," Krum retorted. "So vatever blame you place on your shoulders, I deserve an eqval amount."

"Listen, _don't worry about it_," Harry reiterated. "I don't think there was much we could've done anyway." Krum sighed at this as Madam Pomfrey ordered Harry to lean forward so she could check his breathing.

"So how are ve going to rescue Herm-own-ninny and Ginny?" he asked. At this, both Harry and Madam Pomfrey froze and looked at him as if he had sprouted horns. "Vat?"

"Er..." Harry tried to stall for time. It was true: he had been planning on trying to rescue Hermione and Ginny in some way, but he didn't feel it was appropriate to talk about it with a teacher who might get interrogated by Dumbledore, much less in front of the school nurse. "What do you mean, we?" he asked, coming up with the only response that seemed logical at the moment.

"I mean exactly vat I say," Krum said. "Like I said, I take eqval responsibility, and therefore, if you are going to rescue Herm-own-ninny and Ginny, I vill be coming vith you." Harry could've sworn he heard Madam Pomfrey give a scoff at this before she resumed her examination.

"Well, I...er...didn't have anything planned yet," Harry said, which was half true. He was planning on rescuing the girls. How he was going to accomplish that was a different story.

"Very vell," his professor said standing up. "Vhen you figure something out, please let me know." Harry nodded and Krum made to leave the room.

"Viktor?" he asked as he reached the doors. The professor turned around to show he was listening. "Thanks." Krum gave him a smile and left the ward. Turning around, Harry saw that he was currently the recipient of a very displeased stare from the nurse.

"I'm hoping you're not actually going to go after them, Potter," she said standing up. Harry shrugged. "Because I will more than likely be the one who has to fix you up after you get injured."

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," Harry replied. "So how do I look?" The nurse gave a great sigh.

"You're fine," she said. "You can go."

"Really?" asked Harry, surprised at this news.

"Really," the nurse replied. "But for heaven's sake, please don't go do anything rash."

"I won't," Harry said as he bolted from the bed and out of the room. Madam Pomfrey could do nothing but shake her head as the old doors swayed slightly from being thrown open so violently.

Out in the hall Harry was sprinting up the corridor to the Gryffindor common room. He knew exactly what his first move was going to be, and he wasn't going to waste a second. He turned a corner and ran straight into a student who was walking down the hall, sending them both sprawling.

"Sorry," Harry said as he got up and dusted himself off before realising who he had run into.

"You..." whispered Draco, his voice laden with venom. Harry wasn't exactly sure what was going on, so he said the only thing that came to mind.

"Me," he said with a slight confusion. "What do you –"

"IT'S YOUR BLOODY FAULT!!" roared Draco. Harry didn't have time to react as Draco let out a cry like a strangled boar and tackled him to the ground, drawing his wand in the process.

"Draco what the hell are you doing?" asked Harry, looking down the shaft of his attacker's wand which was pointed right between his eyes. "What did I do?"

"You know what you did," he spat, his wand arm shaking slightly. "And it's your fault."

"What's my fault?!" asked Harry getting frustrated.

"That Ginny is gone!" Draco yelled at him. Suddenly it dawned on Harry why he was laying on the ground while Malfoy had his wand pointed at the bridge of his nose, and he sighed.

"I suppose it partially is," he said. Draco's brow furrowed at this.

"What?" he snapped, obviously taken aback.

"I said it is partially my fault," Harry said. "But your father holds more blame than I do." At this, Draco pushed his wand up into his throat. "What, you weren't told that part?"

"No," Draco said, lessening the pressure slightly.

"How convenient," he replied sarcastically. "Lucius is the one who stunned me and Krum. He was the one who led the attack against Hermione and Ginny."

"My father knows nothing of my relationship with her," Draco said, though he lowered his wand slightly.

"And that matters?" Harry asked, pushing Draco off of him and sitting up. "She was with Hermione and me when we were attacked. He was after her, not Ginny."

"It IS your fault then!" he roared, lunging at Harry again, but this time he was ready for it. He sidestepped Draco and drew his wand, pointing it at his old enemy's chest as he went sprawling to the ground.

"Believe what you want," Harry said. "But understand something. I'm going after them, though I don't have any idea where to start. If you don't want to help, that's fine. But if you get in my way, I will deal with you the same way I will deal with anyone else who gets in my way while I try to rescue Hermione." He bent down and picked Draco up off the ground. "Understand?" Draco nodded and Harry released him. "Good." He turned to leave but stopped when he heard him speak again.

"Potter," Draco said, trying to get his attention.

"Ferret," Harry replied, not turning around. He distinctly heard Malfoy snort at this.

"I want to help." This made Harry turn around, and he looked at Draco, appraising him carefully. "I...I can't lose Ginny. I have no one else."

"What about your mother?" Harry asked, curious to know the answer. Malfoy scoffed at this.

"She does what my father wants, when he wants, simply because she's too scared of him to do any different," he said. "If it came to me or him, she'd choose him simply out of fear for her own life." Harry was stunned at the sincerity of Draco's words. Giving it one last thought, he nodded.

"Fine," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'll try as hard as I can to work something out." Draco nodded. "In the meantime, do your best to find out something about where Hermione and Ginny are being held, as it was your father who took them there in the first place."

"Got it," Draco said. He turned to walk away, but Harry had one last thing he wanted to get out of the way.

"Malfoy?" he asked. Draco turned and was stunned to see Harry's hand extended. "Detente?" The Slytherin looked at him carefully before walking back and taking his hand in a quick shake.

"Something like that," he sneered. "Now go work on finding a way to help our women." With that he turned and walked off in the direction of the Slytherin common room.

'Well,' Harry thought. 'At least it's a step in the right direction.'

He trudged back up to the common room, not having nearly enough energy after his encounter to sprint all the way. Arriving there, he saw that some of the students were still up and studying. What noise there was in the room quickly died when they saw he had entered.

"Carry on," he said with a sigh as he made his way up the stairs to the Head Boy's room. With a heavy heart, he pushed the door closed and slumped down against it.

He was alone in this. Well, except for Draco and Krum, but they hardly made up for Ron and Hermione. One was always there for him when the other wasn't. Now he had neither and was at a loss for what to do. With a groan he got up and did the only thing he could think of that would start him on the path to finding Hermione. He opened his trunk, and pulled the pensieve that Dumbledore had given him for Christmas out.

He had decided that it would be easier to spot clues if he watched the memory of Hermione and Ginny getting captured over and over again, and it was with a heavy heart that he summoned the thought and placed it in the basin. A calming presence washed over him as the memory in his own mind faded, and placed itself in the silver bowl for his viewing pleasure. He was about to touch the surface to watch the scene, when he swore he heard a sniffle.

Whipping out his wand and spinning around quickly, he determined that there was no one in the room and that he must've been hearing things. Shrugging, he almost had his wand back in its holster when the sniffle sounded again, this time accompanied with a sob.

"Who's there?" he asked looking around. "I warn you, I'm armed..." When no response came, his brow furrowed in confusion and he could only shake his head. 'What in the blazes is going on here?' he wondered.

'Harry?'

'Hermione?' he asked, his eyes widening.

'HARRY!' he heard her shout, though it wasn't very loud and slightly crackled, like muggle radio interference.

'Where are you, are you okay?' he asked frantically.

'We're okay,' she said. 'Though I...no idea where...are.' It was hard to hear her perfectly, it probably had something to do with the distance separating them. 'Harry...the potion, it...pain...'

'What?' he asked, having not heard her clearly.

'...potion...was the...draught...'

'Hermione?' he asked, barely able to hear her anymore.

'Harry, save us...' were the last words he heard before the connection went dead.

He instantly forgot about his plan to use the pensieve. Bolting from the room he ran as fast as he could towards Dumbledore's office, storming through the unlocked door without knocking once he reached it, and found the headmaster sitting over the same object that Harry had been using.

"Professor," he said out of breath. "Hermione...I talked to her." Immediately the aged wizard's eyes widened and he pushed the pensieve to the side.

"Your connection?" he asked. Harry nodded, still hyperventilating. "How is it you managed to communicate with her over such a long distance?"

"I..." said Harry taking a large breath and collapsing into one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. "I was using the pensieve, and I had just cleared my mind of thoughts. That's when I heard her."

"Did you find out where she was?" Harry shook his head.

"She didn't know," he said, his breathing finally calming down. "She tried to tell me what potion they forced her and Ginny to drink, but the connection was very weak and I couldn't make out what she said." Dumbledore nodded.

"I'm surprised you managed to contact her at all, let alone distinguish words," he said. "So have we learned anything from this?" Harry thought for a moment.

"Only that the potion is the 'something draught'," he said after some consideration. "That was all I could make out."

"Very well," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "Some news is better than no news."

"Yes sir," Harry said standing. "Well I'll just be –" but what Harry was about to 'just do' was never voiced, for an incredible pain racked through his body, causing him to collapse to the floor.

"Harry!" shouted the headmaster coming out from around his desk. "What is it?"

Harry was writhing on the ground, the pain was so intense. Then, just as quick as it had come, it stopped, leaving a sense of dread with him.

"I...was in agony," he said, shaking the cobwebs from his head.

"Was it your scar?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," he replied. "It started in my chest and spread outward." Dumbledore helped him to his feet and he brushed himself off. "It was strange."

"In what way?" the headmaster asked.

"It felt like a dementor," Harry said. "But instead of depression and despair, I felt pain and anguish instead." Dumbledore's brow creased in thought a little at this, and Harry was vainly trying to figure out what all of it meant when suddenly it clicked. "Wait a second..."

'_Potion...was the...draught...'_

The name of the potion had draught in it...he remembered a draught that caused pain...

'_The Vulnero Draught was outlawed in 1983. Why are they teaching us how to brew it?'_

'_What's it do?' asked Harry._

'_It takes away good feelings, such as relaxation, pleasure, and love, and instead replaces them with pain," Hermione said. "If it goes untreated, eventually the drinker feels nothing but pain, and eventually suffocates because they cannot breathe without passing out, the hurt is so great. It's probably one of the worst ways to go in the world......'_

"Professor," asked Harry calmly. "May I be excused?" Dumbledore regarded him for a moment.

"Have you had a revelation?" he asked.

"Yes, but there's a person I need to confirm it with first." Dumbledore looked at him for another minute than nodded. Harry wasted no time in bolting from the office and taking the shortest way he knew to the office of the last person he would ever expect to ask for help.

Stopping at the door to the office, he regained his composure and knocked.

"Enter," said the familiar drawl of his potions teacher. With a deep breath, Harry opened the door and walked into the office, closing it behind him. "What are you doing here, Potter?" he asked, not looking up from the piece of parchment he was writing on.

"Sir," Harry said, trying not to get on Snape's bad side immediately. "What can you tell me about the Vulnero Draught?" The quill in his teacher's hand immediately stilled, and he raised his head to look at Harry.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"I believe it is the potion that was used in my vision," Harry said. "The potion that was used on Hermione and Ginny."

"The Vulnero Draught does not cause bleeding," Snape said, resuming his writing. Harry's face immediately fell. His best and only lead had hit a dead end, and now he would have to start all over again.

"Sorry to bother you then," he mumbled, and turned to leave the office. He had his hand on the doorknob when Snape's voice stopped him.

"Potter," he said. Harry turned back around to see an expression that he had never seen Snape wear before. It was almost...sympathetic, but it disappeared before he could take a closer look. "On its own, the Vulnero Draught does not cause bleeding."

"Okay..." said Harry, not entirely sure where this was going.

"But the Dark Lord frequently altered it slightly so that bleeding would occur," the potions master said. Harry thought back to the first dream he had of this entire situation.

'_What was that?' she asked in a whimper._

'_A personal favorite of mine,' he replied._

"Voldemort said it was a personal favorite of his..." Harry said, recalling the words spoken in his vision.

"Then," said Snape, crossing his arms, "for once, you are correct in your assumption." Harry's face lit up at this.

"Do you know the antidote?" he asked hopefully. Snape stayed silent for a while before speaking.

"I should sincerely hope so," he finally said. "As I was the one who used to make the Draught for him in the fist place." Harry thanked his lucky stars for this bit of information, but noticing the silence that followed, he realised he was going to have to beg for it every step of the way.

"Will you make it for me?" he asked, bordering on pleading. Snape turned his back on Harry and he could tell that it was difficult for his professor to even considering helping him after all these years.

"The antidote takes one person 30 hours to brew," he said finally. "If you are willing to stay and do _exactly_ as I say, it can be ready in 22."

"Where do I start?" Harry asked whipping off his cloak and tossing it into the corner. Snape immediately conjured two platinum cauldrons and lit fires under each of them before hurriedly gathering ingredients off of his shelves.

"Because the substance that the Dark Lord adds to the Draught to make the victim hemorrhage is a mixture of several other ingredients, naturally the antidote is the same," he said bringing an armful of bottles back to his desk. "Therefore I will be making the foreign mixture."

"What do I do?" Harry asked.

"You'll make the original potion," Snape said. "Unless you forgot that class twenty years ago."

"Not at all," he replied as he moved the required ingredients over to his side of the table.

Eight hours later Harry was sitting over his cauldron, stirring it methodically while Snape continued to make precise calculations while adding ingredients to his part of the potion.

"Well," he said looking at Harry's work. "It's good see that you've brewed that correctly."

"Thanks," Harry said, slightly surprised at the praise.

"Take an hour off," Snape said, going back to his work. "The potion needs to sit, so go and take a break."

"I don't want to let anything happen that would require me to re-brew this," he replied.

"And you think I would?" the potions master sneered.

"I suppose not," Harry said.

"Go take a break, Potter," Snape said. "That's an order."

"Yes sir," he said as he walked from the office, closing the door behind him. Once outside he took a deep breath to savor the clean air and noted that it was already dark. Looking at his watch, he saw it was ten at night. Deciding it was a good idea to go and take a shower to freshen up, he walked off towards Gryffindor Tower, but stopped outside Krum's office when he saw that the light was on. Remembering that he had promised to let his professor know of anything that happened, he knocked.

"Come in," came Krum's voice through the door. Harry walked in and closed the door before walking over to his desk. "Have you found something out?"

"We know it was the Vulnero Draught that was used on her, but as of right now, nothing else," he said taking a seat. A frown appeared on Krum's slightly sunken face.

"A very evil potion," he said. "Has Professor Snape begun brewing an antidote?"

"I'm helping him do it," Harry said. "He gave me a break for a little while, so I thought I'd tell you about what's happening, then go and take a shower maybe."

"Very vell," Krum said. "Thank you for letting me know."

"It's nothing," Harry replied standing. "Thanks for caring." Krum nodded his head as Harry walked out the door and started for the tower again, but was stopped by a shout from behind him.

"Potter!" Harry turned and saw Draco Malfoy jogging up behind him.

"What is it?" he asked. "Any news?" Draco finally got to Harry and stopped in front of him, bending over slightly to catch his breath.

"I've been looking for you for an hour," he said. "Where were you?"

"Brewing an antidote with Snape," Harry replied. "We found that they used a version of the Vulnero Draught on the girls." Draco's eyes widened at this. "I take it you're familiar with it?"

"I saw my father use it on someone once," he said. "Someone who disagreed with him on some money issue. Gave him the antidote though, once he had screamed bloody murder and promised my dad his money."

"Lovely," Harry said. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I know where they are," Draco said. Harry nodded dumbly for a second until the information sunk in.

"What?" he whispered. "How?" Draco looked down at his left side.

"Show yourself," he said, speaking to the air next to his left knee.

"Malfoy, what are you –" but Harry didn't finish his question, for Kreacher had just appeared next to Draco.

---------------

All right, I know it was another short one, but the last chapter will more than compensate for it. I hope to make it another 10k wonder. Just to remind you, there are two chapters left in this story. I'll just give you this little tidbit to chew on, next chapter is going to be a real doozy.


	21. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Har, I love you guys. The reviews were much friendlier this time around, and the quantity has been steadily increasing, which makes me extremely pleased.

That being said, this chapter will probably end up with me getting the Flame of the Century. This time, and this time only, I'll take all flames with a grain of salt and just shrug. A LOT of people are going to be displeased with the way this turns out, but I have only one thing to say to that: I've been planning it this way for nearly half a year, and it's not getting changed now.

Oh, one other quick note. A couple people in their reviews asked me what 'Detente' means, so I'll define that for everyone right now:

Détente (day-tant): n. A relaxing or easing, as of tension between rivals.

So naturally, it seems like the perfect term to use for that scene last chapter.

And finally, I apologise for this being out a day late on Wednesday. The 5 hour and 48 minute Red Sox ALCS game kept me up far too late, and thus I ran out of energy to finish the chapter. Hope none of you mind too much.

So without further ado, I give you my weekly work.

---------------

Chapter 21: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

"You..." Harry breathed, looking upon the creature that he held responsible for Sirius' death. Kreacher did not reply, he merely looked at Draco and scowled.

"The beauty of it all," Malfoy said, slightly amused. "Is that because of the house-elf rules, he's bound to me because of the fact that he entered into my family's service. I wonder what Granger would say if she knew that house-elf laws are going to end up saving her?"

"You can't save her," Kreacher mumbled. Harry made to advance on him but Draco held up his hand.

"You will not speak," he said, talking to the house-elf. Kreacher merely growled and crossed his arms.

"So he knows where they are?" Harry asked.

"Well..." Draco said vaguely. "He knows where my father is. Whether or not Granger and Ginny are there is something else."

"It's the best lead we have though," Harry replied. "What do you know?" he asked turning to look at Kreacher. The elf looked up at Draco for permission to speak, to which the blonde-haired boy nodded.

"Kreacher does not answer to the mudblood-loving Potter," he said looking Harry squarely in the eye.

"Why you little –"

"Quit it," Draco said warningly. "We can't harm him."

"Why not?" Harry asked, slightly disappointed.

"Because we need to hear what he has to say first," Draco answered with a sick smile. Kreacher snorted and stood there silent. "Answer Potter's question."

"Yes, I knows where they are," he replied, albeit begrudgingly.

"Where are they?" Harry asked. With a sigh the elf looked up at Draco.

"You already knows all the answers, so why must Kreacher be here?"

"Because he will understand better if it comes directly from your mouth," Malfoy replied. Kreacher huffed but turned to face Harry nonetheless.

"They is in a castle in Norway," he said, removing a tattered piece of parchment from a pocket inside of his beat-up pillowcase toga. "This is the place."

Harry took the parchment and smoothed out the wrinkles before looking down at the piece of paper.

_Assemble at Borghund Keep_

"Where is it?" Harry asked.

"Norway," Kreacher replied.

"You know what I mean," he said. "Where in Norway?" At this question, Kreacher looked up at Draco who was frowning.

"Yeah, about that," he said hesitantly. "We don't know where exactly it is." Harry turned his gaze from the house-elf to Draco.

"You're kidding," he said. Malfoy shook his head.

"I didn't have enough time to look in my family's library when I snuck out to get this bugger," he said, pointing his thumb at Kreacher who was playing with a loose string hanging off his pillowcase. "We're going to need to check the library here to see if we can find anything on it."

"Let's go then," Harry said putting the parchment in his pocket and setting off for the library.

"Now?" Draco asked, jogging to catch up to him, Kreacher behind him slightly.

"When else?" he asked. "In less than forty minutes I have to go back down to the dungeons to continue helping Snape brew the antidote, and I'll probably be at it for another 13 hours or so afterwards."

"You're planning on leaving the moment you have the antidote and know where they are, aren't you?" Draco asked as they arrived in the library.

"Yeah," he said softly as they took some historical books off of the shelves along with some maps and an atlas that were all as up-to-date as they could be.

"This place reminds me of her too," Draco said as they sat down at a table and began to spread the maps out.

"Huh?" asked Harry, not entirely sure of what Malfoy was talking about.

"Ginny," he answered. "This is where, well, you know."

"No," Harry replied. "I don't know. Care to elaborate?"

"This is where I fell in love with her," Draco muttered, leafing through 'Famous Fortresses of the Fourteen Hundreds'. Harry sighed.

"Just being in here reminds me of Hermione," he said, scanning one of the maps. "This is the table she always works at."

"I don't know how you put up with it," Draco said, shutting the book and picking up another from the pile. "All these years you've had to deal with rumors, worries, and people being snatched from right out from under your nose. It just amazes me how you deal with it."

"Thanks," muttered Harry, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"You really _did_ save Ginny down in the Chamber all those years ago, didn't you?"

Harry stopped his search and looked up at Malfoy who was eyeing him carefully.

"I thought the entire school knew about that," he muttered, resuming his scanning.

"Nothing's less accurate than Hogwarts rumors," Draco said. "You know that."

"Yes, I did save her," said Harry. "I'm surprised your dad didn't tell you all the details."

"Only the part about how you lost us Dobby," he said. Kreacher gave a derisive snort from underneath the table.

"What is he still doing here?" Harry asked, pulling another map towards him.

"I er...tied him to me before we left," Draco replied with a devilish grin. Harry stopped still and turned his head towards him.

"Isn't that Dark Magic?" he asked hesitantly. Harry didn't know much about the actual spell, but the tying of one's being to another's was considered evil, and reputedly very dangerous.

"Potter, growing up in the household that I did, do you really expect me NOT to know a bit of Dark Magic?" he replied disdainfully.

"I guess not," Harry said. A few minutes passed in silence until Harry voiced the question that was nagging at his mind.

"Explain to me the whole Kreacher incident back in fifth year," he said to Malfoy.

"He can tell you better than I can," Draco replied without hesitation. When there was silence from the table, he looked underneath it and nudged the house-elf in the back of the head with his foot. "Tell him."

Kreacher huffed and came out from under the table with a look of disgust on his face.

"When the filthy son of my old mistress told me to 'Get out!' I left," he grunted.

"I know that already," Harry said. "Tell me what happened when you went to the Malfoys."

"They asked me what was important to you," he said. "And I tolds them the filth was."

"Mmm," Harry said appraisingly as he looked at the map. "Then what?"

"They tolds me that on a certain day, to make sure the filth was somewhere other than near the fireplace, and to be there when you appeared." Kreacher replied.

"Is that what Voldemort told them to do?" Harry asked. Both Malfoy and Kreacher flinched at the name.

"I knows not."

"Well what have you been up to since you left the house?" Kreacher growled at this, but with another prod from Draco's shoe, he quieted.

"Kreacher has been doing work for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," the elf said. At this, both Malfoy and Harry stopped their searching and looked down at the disgruntled creature whom had come out from underneath the table.

"You what?" whispered Harry.

"Been doing work for You-Know-Who," Kreacher repeated, a gleeful note in his voice at seeing how upset Harry was getting at this news. Malfoy, however, who was not impressed, picked him up by the back of the pillowcase and deposited him on the tabletop.

"Why haven't I heard about this?" he asked, his grey eyes flashing with anger.

"You has never asked," Kreacher replied.

"What were you doing?" Harry demanded. It was easy to tell Kreacher's frustration at the situation: being ordered by Draco to spill his guts of everything he knew was obviously maddening him.

"Looking out kinds of work," he said. "He had me come here once, to keep watch on the grounds."

"Why would he have you do that?" Draco asked.

"So the rat could get information without being seen," Kreacher said, though this time it was with more anger.

"What?" asked Harry and Malfoy at the same time, neither completely sure of what Kreacher meant.

"So the rat could get information," he repeated. "Something about a visit to the village."

Draco looked over at Harry, and was startled to see a scrunched look of concentration on his face. Something was nagging at the back of Harry's mind, as if he had all the pieces to the puzzle, yet he couldn't put them together. And then it hit him.

"_Did you hear about the Hogsmeade weekend that's coming up on Saturday?"_

"_Hmm?" Harry asked as the last of the students made their way upstairs to bed._

"_They posted an announcement for it in the Great Hall today," Hermione said from her seat by the fire. "Didn't you see it?"_

"The rat..." he muttered under his breath.

_Flipping the map open so he could see the name of the person, he saw the one thing that he hoped would never grace the pages of the Marauder's Map again._

_Peter Pettigrew was currently in the Great Hall._

And in his dream with Voldemort...

"_Wormtail has extracted a necessary piece of information," Harry said. "Begin assembling your death eaters to capture what we need."_

"_Yes, master," Lucius said._

"_We still do not have the date yet, so for the time being, keep them...in shape."_

"The date..." Harry whispered with widening eyes at the realisation dawned upon him.

"What are you on about?" Draco asked, slightly concerned about Harry's state of mind.

"Peter Pettigrew," he said, looking over at his old nemesis. "He was in the Great Hall the day they posted the Hogsmeade announcement." Malfoy's eyes went wide at this, and Harry could've sworn he saw the hair on Kreacher's neck stand on end. "One of the dreams I had...Voldemort said that Wormtail had extracted a necessary piece of information, but that they didn't have the date yet. That must've been that there was a Hogsmeade visit soon, but they didn't know when." Kreacher growled. "He was in the Great Hall to find out when the date of the next Hogsmeade visit was!"

A derisive snort was heard from Kreacher here, and it only helped to further the idea that Harry's conclusion was correct.

"Is this true, Kreacher?" Draco asked. The house-elf looked at him with a look of pure loathing, and then nodded once. "Why that no good, low life, filthy, disease-ridden, piece of – what's with you, Potter?" Harry currently had his head in his hands and let out a great sigh.

"Sometimes," he began, "I just wish that I had had the balls to tell my parents about him when I was in the past with Hermione."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked. Harry looked up at him.

"You don't know what happened with Pettigrew and my parents?" he asked. Draco's upper lip curled up slightly at this in thought.

"Oh."

"Anyways, I have to get back to Snape," Harry said, looking at his watch. "Keep looking for something. Maybe Snape will let me have a break again in another few hours." Draco nodded.

"If I find anything?" Harry considered this for a moment.

"Wait here," he said. "There's no other way to do it without causing suspicion. Pretend you're doing work for school or something, I'll come here the moment I can." Again, Draco nodded.

"You brew that thing right now," he said as Harry turned to leave. "We can't afford any mistakes. The price is too high for that." Harry stopped and turned his head slightly.

"Trust me," he said. "I know that all too well." With that he exited the library to go back down to the dungeons.

Much to the chagrin of Harry, eleven hours later Snape had not given him another break, and it was easy to see why. The side portion of the antidote required extremely precise and fast additions to the cauldron while Snape had to use his wand to stir the potion at speeds that made Harry's head spin slightly.

"You see," Snape said as Harry quickly deposited the sheep irises into the potion. "The reason that it is quicker to brew this with help, is that because when this potion is made alone, all of the ingredients must be prepared beforehand in the precise amounts and must be charmed to fly into the cauldron at the correct time. That, as you can imagine, takes a while."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, as he quickly moved to measure the last ingredient: phoenix tears. "Sir, why the tears?"

"They help to seal the wounds created inside the body," Snape said, still bent over the basin of platinum.

"Wounds inside the body?" Harry asked.

"The modifications that the Dark Lord makes to this potion cause the body's cells to break down from the inside out," he replied. "Which is why by the time the bleeding starts, it will be too late." Harry paled slightly at this as he poured a few drops of the tears into the measuring vial.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because by the time the skin of the body starts to break down, the insides have already done that," Snape said. "It is not a pleasant way to die."

"How long does it take until they can't be saved?" Harry asked.

"The external bleeding will start on the dawn of the fourth day," Snape said. Harry immediately looked to his watch and saw that, given that it was nearly midnight, they had about one full day left and the few hours afterward until the sun rose. Assuming, of course, that the potion had been given to Hermione and Ginny at night, like in his dream. "The only flaw in the potion was that it would only function during the hours that the sun was up."

"Why is that?" Harry asked. Snape paused for a minute, though his stirring did not cease.

"Because I made it that way."

An hour later all the ingredients had been added and all that was left was for Snape to continue stirring the mixture.

"What's going to happen when the potion's done?" Harry asked. He knew what he wanted to do, but wasn't entirely sure that the Hogwarts staff, much less Snape would go along with it.

"I will inform the headmaster of the situation, and take the appropriate actions from there," Snape said. This was the last thing Harry wanted to hear, as now he was going to have to steal the potion from Snape's office, and he was probably going to have about ten minutes to do it. "You may go now," the potions master said. Harry gathered his things and walked to the door, but stopped before opening it.

"Professor?" he asked.

"Yes, Potter?" Snape replied, still stirring the potion.

"Thank you." As there was no reply, Harry opened the door and made to leave, but as he closed the door behind him, he could've sworn he heard Snape say, "You're welcome.".

Figuring that Draco would've found an answer to where the Keep was by now, Harry bolted to the library, and his heart sank drastically when he found Kreacher sitting on the table next to Draco, who was still pouring through books and maps.

"You have got to be kidding me," Harry said as he reached the table. "You haven't found it yet?" Draco looked up at let out a frustrated growl.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "I must've looked throughout everything in the library related to maps and castles and such three times, and there's nothing on a 'Borghund Keep'. And it doesn't help that Pince keeps trying to figure out what I'm up to."

"You're sure all the maps are current?" he asked.

"Of course, why on earth would I look at a map from over a millennium ago?"

"Are you lying to us?" Harry asked Kreacher, but it was Draco who answered.

"He can't lie," he said. "It's very painful for a house-elf to go against a master's orders, and we'd know if he was in pain."

"And you have no idea where it is?" Harry asked Kreacher.

The quick glance that Kreacher shot at one of the books on the shelf next to them before shaking his head probably would have gone unnoticed by almost everyone, but years of playing quidditch as a seeker had trained Harry's eyes to spot any subtle, quick movements, and he saw it. Looking at the shelf, he saw that it contained nothing but books on old wars. Suddenly, an idea hit him, and he wondered why he had been so blind.

"I'll be right back," he said, going off to search for the librarian. A minute later he found her replacing returned books on the shelves.

"Madam Pince?" he asked quietly. She turned and looked at him appraisingly over her spectacles.

"Yes?" she asked shortly.

"I was wondering, are there any old maps here?" The librarian narrowed her gaze at him and gave a snort.

"Whatever would you need an _old_ map for?" she asked.

"Just research for Professor Binns," he said, crossing his fingers behind his back. He had to hope that Madam Pince didn't know he wasn't taking History of Magic anymore.

"Very well," she said with a sigh. "They're on aisle D5 next to the world displays."

"Thank you," said Harry turning around and sprinting towards the aforementioned aisle.

"Walk!" he heard Madam Pince screech, and he slowed his pace. Arriving at his destination, he realised that he couldn't bring all of them back to the table, considering there were over two thousand in front of him.

"Old maps?" Draco asked with a snort coming up behind him, Kreacher in his wake. "After you just asked me whether or not the maps I looked at were current? Do you know how long it will take to go through all of these?"

"Kreacher," Harry said ignoring Draco. "In what war was the Borghund Keep destroyed?" Kreacher's head snapped to attention at this question.

"Kreacher will not say," the house-elf said defiantly.

"You will answer his question," Draco said realising that this question obviously held importance. Kreacher looked as though he would rather swallow a flask of the Vulnero Draught than answer this question, but since he could not go against an order from a person he was bound to, the elf had no choice but to provide an answer.

"The Six Kings War," he muttered. Harry promptly walked over to the shelf Kreacher had glanced at and instantly found a book on the Six Kings War. Bringing it back over to the aisle where Draco was, he looked through the index until he found what he was looking for. Turning to page 143, a picture of an old castle was shown, along with a little caption of information beneath it.

"The Borghund Keep was destroyed in 624 A.D.," he said, pausing while Draco found a 7th century map of Norway in the shelves and unrolled it. "It was razed in the attack from King Hildegard in his search for the Tromhund Crypt, and since then has been nothing but a pile of ruins."

"Here," Draco said, pointing a finger at the map. Looking over, Harry saw a small picture of a castle with the word 'Borghund' written next to it in a fancy cursive style. Surrounding the castle was a forest that went for about ten miles on every side.

"Well," said Harry with a resolute tone. "Looks like we found it."

"Yeah, but the book says it's nothing but ruins," Draco said. "How can that be the place?"

"Simple," Harry replied, the Order meeting from after his first dream coming back to his mind. "Voldemort rebuilt it."

"Why there though?" Draco asked. "I mean, it is a bit out of the way."

"Well, he would want it to be, wouldn't he?" Harry replied. Though he somehow thought there was a reason more important than that.

"What now?" asked Malfoy, starting to replace all the books and maps they had taken back on the shelves.

"Well, I have to steal the potion from Snape once it's done," Harry said. "Then I leave."

"Like bloody hell you do," Draco said. "I'm going with you." Harry stopped shelving their 'research materials' and looked at him appraisingly. To be honest with himself, he knew there was no way that he could deny Draco the right to come with him. After all, if it weren't for the Slytherin, they would have no idea where Hermione and Ginny even were.

"Fine," Harry said. "You have to help me steal the potion though." As Draco nodded however, another voice came from seemingly nowhere next to Harry.

"I do believe," Krum said stepping out from under an invisibility cloak. "That I said I vould be coming vith you."

"You scared me, Professor," Harry said, his heart rate slowing down.

"Sorry, but I knew that you veren't telling me effrything before. I haff been listenting and vatching vat you have been studying the entire time."

"What's he doing here?" Draco asked, pointing at the Defense professor.

"Harry saved my life earlier this year," Krum said. "It is only fair that I should accompany him on this mission." Remembering Dumbledore's words that Viktor was more skilled than most death eaters, Harry wasn't about to turn his offer of help away.

"Thank you," he said. "But right now we need to figure out how to steal the antidote from Snape's office."

"That vill not be a problem," Krum said. "Vhen vill ve be stealing it?" Harry checked his watch.

"It'll be done in about twenty minutes," he said. "Then Snape will leave his office to talk to Dumbledore. We have to steal it then." Draco and Krum nodded at this.

"Ve should haff all of our things first," the professor said. "After ve steal the potion, it von't take long for Severus to figure out vhat has happened. We need to leave the moment we steal it."

"Agreed," Harry said. "Let's all get what we need and meet back here in ten minutes."

"What do we need?" Draco asked.

"Our brooms," Harry said. "And having another invisibility cloak can't hurt either." With that, they set off in different directions to collect what was needed.

Ten minutes later, Harry entered the library and saw that Krum and Malfoy were already there waiting for him, Malfoy's Nimbus 2001 leaning next to him, Krum's Firebolt in his hand.

"Okay," said Harry, putting down his Firebolt and invisibility cloak on the table. "We should head down to Snape's office. Draco and I will hide under my cloak, Viktor, you can hide under yours."

"Got it," Draco said.

"Hold on," Krum interjected pulling out his wand. "Take out your vands." Although there was some confusion within the two boys, they each complied and pulled out their wands, which Krum promptly tapped with his own, making them glowing slightly pink for a second. "Ve can now talk to each other through our vands," he said. "Very useful when we need to talk to each other over long distances or need to be extra qviet." Harry and Draco noddded at this.

"All right, well, let's go!" Harry said, and throwing the cloak over him and Draco, they each grabbed their brooms and the map of Norway and exited the library, followed by Krum underneath his own cloak.

A few minutes later they arrived outside Snape's office, and Harry could hear that the professor was still inside.

"He's still in there," he whispered into his wand.

"Yes, ve vill have to wait a little bit," came Krum's voice from the tips of Harry's and Draco's wands.

So they waited. Every second that passed seemed like an eternity to Harry, for fear of what Hermione and Ginny might be going through. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Snape emerged from the office, closed and locked the door, and walked off in the direction to Dumbledore's office.

"Now or never," Harry said into his wand once Snape had turned the corner.

Immediately the two cloaks were thrown off of the three bodies, and Krum rushed over to the door with his wand drawn. Placing it on the knob, he muttered, "Extrico," and the knob glowed red before turning. Replacing his wand back in his robes, Krum pushed the door and it opened.

A single platinum cauldron now stood on Snape's desk, and it was filled with the most foul-smelling liquid Harry had ever come across.

"How much do we need to bring?" Draco asked, holding his nose.

"It depends on how much they vere forced to drink," Krum said. "Ve shouldn't give them too much more antidote than necessary. After all, too much of anything is bad for you."

"They were given half a vial of the potion each," Harry said, remembering his first dream.

"Then ve vill take two vials of the antidote," Krum said pulling two glass ones off of a shelf. Using his wand, he directed the potion into the vials and then stoppered them.

"Is there any way to make them unbreakable?" Harry asked. "We don't want to get there and find out that one of them cracked during the flight."

"Good idea," Krum said tapping each of them with his wand. A glossy liquid poured from the tip and covered the vials, which upon contact with the glass hardened, giving off a resemblance of a diamond shell. "Who vill carry them?"

"I'm taking Hermione's," Harry said without hesitation.

"And I'm taking Ginny's," Draco said. Krum nodded and gave a vial to each of the wizards.

"Ve must make haste," he said. "Ve haff a long way to travel." With a nod, the three of them donned the invisibility cloaks and ran from the office towards the entrance hall, and upon reaching it thrust open the doors.

"We won't be able to fly with the cloaks on," Draco said.

"We vill not haff to worry," Krum said. "Once ve are over the forest, ve vill be able to fly below the canopy and continue undetected."

"All right," Harry said mounting his broom, and the others did the same. "We'll stop occasionally to check the map and make sure we're going the right way. For right now, point me!" His wand spun to due north in his palm, which was towards the Forbidden Forest. "We're roughly going east by northeast, so we need to head that way," he said, pointing off over the mountains. Draco and Krum nodded. "Let's go." With that, the three wizards kicked off of the ground and sped into the night.

Up in his office, Dumbledore watched with Snape as the three brooms faded out of sight.

"Are you sure this is wise?" the potions master asked. "It would be a lot easier if they had more help."

"I don't believe that to be true, Severus," Dumbledore said. "The keep is likely to be heavily guarded. A large force would have to fight its way through, but the three of them may be able to slip in undetected."

"You are sure of where they are going?"

"Yes," the headmaster answered. "They weren't doing a very discreet job during their search, to say the least."

"The crypt then?" Snape asked, turning to Dumbledore.

"Yes," the headmaster replied with a sigh. "There is not much we can do now but hope that it is not too late."

The flight to Norway had taken the better part of the day. Twice they had to stop and check the map to make sure they were going the right way. Finally, just as the sun was setting, they could see the forest surrounding the Keep in the distance.

"There it is," Harry said into his wand. "We're going to have to fly through the trees."

"Got it," came Draco's voice.

"Let us stop at the beginning of the forest so we can discuss our plan," came Krum's.

"Okay."

The three of them descended below the treeline and a minute later slowed down as they entered the forest and hopped off their brooms.

"Well, we made it," Draco said.

"Not yet," corrected Harry. "That was the easy part. We still have to get in and find Ginny and Hermione without making a scene."

"There vill probably be guards also," Krum said. "Along vith sentries stationed throughout the forest."

"That can be taken care of," Harry said. He drew his wand and pointed it at his hand after tracing a circle on it, just like Dumbledore had done when they went to rescue Krum. "Radarus." The circle grew slightly gray, and two blue dots appeared on it, designating Krum and Malfoy. "No one's near us right now." Krum and Draco nodded. "Okay, I'll fly ahead of the two of us. If anyone comes within range, we'll stop and put on the cloaks to sneak by them. We don't want to give anyone any reason to show that something unusual is happening." With another nod, they remounted their brooms and flew off at a slow pace into the forest.

Harry guessed they were about seven miles in before the first red dot appeared on his hand. Whispering through his wand, they descended to the ground and put on the cloaks.

"Won't they hear us?" Draco asked.

"Use 'silencio' on your shoes," Krum's voice said from next to them. They did so and found, much to Harry's surprise, that it worked. Silently they made their way past the red dot until it disappeared from Harry's hand, and they resumed flight.

Three more times this happened, until finally a very large cluster of red dots appeared on Harry's hand.

"We're nearly there," he whispered into his wand. Again they descended to the ground and donned the cloaks. They walked in silence for about ten minutes, and then the trees around them ended and they were standing in front of a castle almost the size of Hogwarts.

"Bloody hell," whispered Draco.

"Come on," Harry said, watching his hand. They moved around to the main entrance and saw that there were two death eaters stationed outside.

"How are we going to get by them?" Draco asked.

"Ve vill haff to vait," Krum's voice said through their wands. "The iron gate is down, so ve cannot sneak by nor stun them."

"We don't have time," Harry whispered. "What if –" but at that moment, the iron portcullis started to rise.

"See?" Krum said. "Let's go." The three of them slowly walked forward, careful not to shift anything on the ground. They were twenty feet from the gate when Harry saw him.

Voldemort.

And Wormtail.

They were walking out of the castle towards the forest, and had just passed Harry, Draco, and Krum when Voldemort stopped.

"He's here," he hissed.

"The boy?" Peter asked, and the Dark Lord nodded.

"Seal the gate. Now," he hissed at the guards. Immediately they relayed the message to the death eaters controlling the gate, and it began to descend.

"We have to move! NOW!" Harry hissed into his wand. Stumbling forward but managing to keep the cloak on, he and Draco just barely got under the iron spikes as they sunk into the ground behind them. "Did you make it, Viktor?"

"Yes," came the reply from his wand. Outside the gate Voldemort was looking around, trying to discern where Harry had gotten to.

"Is he still here, my lord?" Wormtail asked. Harry could feel Voldemort trying to penetrate his mind, and doing the only thing he could remember from his Occlumency lessons, tried to put up a brick wall around his mind.

"I'm not sure," Voldemort said after a minute. "It is of no concern, he will not get past the guards here. Come, Wormtail, we have business to attend to." With that Peter nodded and the two of them walked off into the forest, followed by two soft cracks a moment later to signify their disapparation.

"That was too close," Harry muttered into his wand. "Let's get moving." The three of them moved farther into the castle, halting every once in a while to let a death eater that was moving about pass them. When it became apparently that Hermione and Ginny were not on the ground floor (as shown by a lack of blue dots on Harry's palm), Harry suggested that they try to find some stairs.

"I saw some stairs heading into a dungeon a little vhile back," came Krum's voice through Harry's wand.

"Sounds like a good place to start," Harry replied. "We'll follow you."

"Okay," came the reply. Krum walked back towards what he had seen while Harry and Draco followed him.

"Why did we bring our brooms?" Draco asked, having trouble keeping all of his Nimbus 2001 underneath the cloak.

"We may have to make a quick escape," Harry replied. Draco didn't say anything, but he could feel him nod from behind him. A minute later they arrived at an open door, where a death eater was slumped on the floor in sleep.

"Do you get the feeling that this is a little bit too easy?" Draco asked, as they started to descend the stairs.

"A bit, but we can't worry about that now," Harry replied as they made their way out onto the landing of a very old stone cellar lit only by oil lamps. The room had several open passageways leading out of it, each with a set of stairs that descended lower into the ground.

"Well, we can't split up," Harry said. "It's too dangerous."

"So ve check each one," Krum said. Harry and Draco agreed and were just about to go down the stairs in the left-most passage when a terrible pain wracked Harry's body. He managed to cast a silencing charm on himself before falling down on the ground in maddening silent screams.

"What is it?" Draco asked quickly, bending low so that the cloak would cover Harry.

"Vat has happened?" asked Krum through his wand.

"Potter's having a fit of some sort –" but he stopped his sentence because Harry's writhing had just stopped. "What happened?" he asked, pulling Harry back to his feet.

"...it was the draught," he said, breathing heavily. "I felt like all the emotions in my body were being replaced with suffering, and I think my insides started to curdle."

"How pleasant," replied Malfoy.

"Hermione's in pain," Harry whispered. "Wait for a second, I have to try to contact her."

"What?" Draco asked. Harry held up a hand to silence him, and much to Harry's surprise, he did.

'Hermione? Hermione are you there?!' he thought as loudly as he could.

'H-Harry?' came a voice in obvious pain.

'Hermione, listen to me,' Harry said as calmly as he could. 'Do you remember which passageway they used to bring you to your cell?'

'Third from the right, second from the left, then the one all the way on the right,' came the reply, as though Hermione had thought this through all the way beforehand.

'Got it.'

"This way," he said grabbing Krum's arm through the cloak and pulling him and Draco towards the passageway which was the third from the right.

"Harry, vat are you doing?" Krum asked as they descended the stairs.

"I just talked to Hermione, she's this way," Harry replied, scanning his hand carefully for any sign of red dots.

"Your connection?" Krum asked.

"Yes." They reached another landing at the bottom of the stairs, and this too branched out in several different directions. Taking the passage on the second from the left, they made their way down the stairs and at the next landing took the passage all the way on the right.

When they reached the bottom of these stairs, they were confronted with a long corridor lined with many old oak doors. Checking his hand, Harry now saw what he was searching for: two blue dots ahead and to the left. The only problem was that there were six red dots that appeared to be pacing outside the door.

"We don't have a choice," Harry whispered into his wand. "We're going to have to kill the guards."

"How many are there?" came Krum's voice.

"Six," he replied. "But if we fire from underneath the cloaks from the sides, we should be able to take them down without causing a commotion."

"Let us go then."

The three of them moved forward, and Krum moved around to the other side of the guards, while Harry and Malfoy stayed on the side closer to the stairs. Once Krum announced that he was in position, Harry spoke.

"This is for those we love, gentlemen," he said into his wand. "Remember that. Avada Kedavra!"

The incantation was echoed by the other two on Harry's side, but it wasn't needed. The amount of power and hatred that Harry had poured into his spell killed the death eater he aimed it at, and the tremor created when the spell impacted on the man's chest sent the other five flying. Two of them were killed by Krum's and Malfoy's spells, and the other three were killed when their heads cracked open upon the stone walls. Two wands fell to the ground from the robes of one of the death eaters, and refusing to wait any longer, Harry tore the cloak off himself and Malfoy while rushing to the door, dropping his Firebolt and picking up the wands on the ground in the process.

"Alohomora!" he yelled at the handle, and it clicked open. As he threw open the door, two things occurred at the same time. One, screams of pain from Hermione and Ginny filled the air, and two, a loud alarm went off on the main floor of the castle, which was not heard over the screams of the women.

"HERMIONE!" Harry bellowed as he rushed forward towards her. She and Ginny were each curled up into a tight ball in the corner of the room (which was the same as in Harry's dreams). Upon hearing Harry call her name, Hermione's screams only became louder. With the vial in his hand, he quickly administered a 'finite incantatem', removed the stopper and cradled Hermione's head in his lap. "Drink this," he said, and she turned her head to him, not able to stop screaming. Quickly he poured the contents of the vial down her throat, and she coughed and sputtered for a moment before the potion reached her stomach, and her screaming stopped.

A few feet away, the same thing happened with Ginny, and both girls promptly broke down in tears in the arms of their loved ones.

"You came for me," Hermione whispered into Harry's robes.

"I would never abandon you," he said.

"Harry!" shouted Krum from the door. "There's an alarm going off in the distance!" Immediately the four people in the room quieted and listened. Sure enough coming somewhere from above the ceiling, a soft wail could be heard that was unmistakably an alarm.

"We need to get out of here," he said summoning his Firebolt to him and handing the girls their wands back. "Now."

They rushed from the room and sprinted back up the corridor towards the stairs before taking them two at a time. They were greeted with an unpleasant scene upon arriving at the landing, however.

"I'm afraid you'll have to go through me first," Lucius Malfoy said, flanked by a dozen death eaters.

There were no words spoken after that. Harry simply leveled his wand with the nearest death eater's head and fired a Reductor Curse, effectively blowing the man's head to pieces. This caused enough confusion for Hermione, Draco, and Krum to do the same, while Ginny stuck to a cleaner Avada Kedavra. Twenty seconds later it was over, and just as before, Lucius was the only death eater left standing.

"I never though my son would betray me," he said looking at Draco with a frown.

"You betrayed me," Draco said, "The moment you attacked the Hogwarts Express while I was on it."

"You know I didn't mean to hit your car," Lucius said.

"Bollocks," Draco replied. "Ginny was in that compartment and you knew it. You didn't care if you had to kill your own son, you just wanted to get rid of the person who managed to survive Tom Riddle's Diary." Lucius growled at this and made to tackle Draco, but the young man, having played quidditch just like Harry, was accustomed to things making quick moves at his body, and jumped out of the way in time. Lucius crashed to the ground and Draco pounced on him.

"You would've killed me and not cared," he said in a deadly whisper. "And so I'm going to do the same for you." Lucius opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came out as Draco had quickly raised his wand and said the two words that ended his father's life in a green flash.

The other four people in the room stood there speechless until a noise from above them brought them back to their senses.

"We have to keep moving," Harry said. "Once we're on the main floor we'll be able to get on the brooms." No more words were spoken between the five of them until they reached the main floor, surprisingly, without any encounters.

"On the brooms, everyone," Harry said as Hermione climbed on in front of him, Draco climbed on in front of Draco, and Krum got on his broom alone.

"Here," Krum said tossing Harry's invisibility cloak to him, and his own invisibility cloak to Draco. "Take these, I shouldn't hold on to both." Draco and Harry nodded, and with a quick kick off of the ground, they sped down the corridor towards the entrance.

The problem was, as they discovered when they arrived at the gate, was that the iron portcullis was down, and they had no means of escape.

"Damn," Draco said. "What now?" Harry didn't have time to answer as a jet of green light shot through the air, missing above his head by inches.

"Follow me!" Harry shouted as he bolted forwards back in towards the castle.

"Where are you going?" Draco's voice sounded through his wand.

"Looking for a courtyard," Harry said back into his wand as he took a quick corner, holding onto Hermione so she didn't fall off.

A large bang was heard behind them and Harry slowed his broom enough to turn around and see what had happened. A spell had hit Krum and he had crashed to the ground, splintering his Firebolt. Draco and Harry quickly stopped, but Viktor waved them off.

"Go. GO!" he shouted. "I haff no means of escape now."

"We'll take you with us!" Harry shouted. "I'm not leaving you here!"

"You haff no choice!" Krum yelled, as a horde of death eaters turned the corner. "Fly!"

With a frustrated growl, Harry kicked off the ground, and flew back in the direction he had originally been going, Malfoy right behind him.

"Today," Krum said as Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco disappeared from sight and the death eaters approached. "I repay my debt."

Harry and Hermione streaked towards the clearing at the end of the hall, Draco and Ginny close behind them. The light of the early morning sky could be seen in that area, and it was undoubtedly a way out. Reaching it, they found it was a courtyard, and immediately flew vertically upwards and over the keep. Flying a few hundred yards away from the castle, Harry stopped and Draco and Ginny pulled up alongside him.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I have to go back for him," Harry said.

"Are you mad, Potter!?" shouted Draco. "You'll be killed!" Harry looked down at the castle where red and green flashes were going off through the windows. Suddenly, the flashes stopped, causing Harry's thought process to pause for a moment.

Back down in the castle, Krum had finally been overtaken and was surrounded by the black-robed death eaters, while he knelt in the middle of the hall.

"You are beaten," one said. "Surrender and join us, and we may spare your life." Krum looked up at the one who had spoke, spat at his feet, and pointed his wand at himself.

"I vould never join the likes of you," he said, his wand still pointed directly at his own heart. "AMORTUS!"

Outside the castle, all that was seen was a brilliant white light emanating from the windows, followed shortly thereafter by an enormous explosion, throwing large chunks of stone into the air as a gaping hole was blown into the Keep's side. Startled by this, Harry could only gape and watch as the large blocks of stone landed on the ground and hit other parts of the castle.

"Krum," he said into his wand. "Viktor are you there?" No response. "Viktor, are you there?!" he shouted. He turned to his classmates and saw that the same result was etched onto their faces; sadness. "GODDAMNIT, KRUM RESPOND!" There was nothing but silence as Harry bowed his head in defeat, finally realising that he could now no longer go back for him.

Without a word, he turned his broom back towards England, and sped off into the pale sky with Hermione, Draco and Ginny following right behind him.

---------------

There it is. 20 pages for you, and I hope you enjoyed it. Again, I apologise for this being a day late, but I was too tired on Monday to finish it. The next chapter will be the last one, I'll put in a more elaborate speech then. Until then, I ask you simply to please not question any decision I have made in this chapter, all will become clear (or most of it anyway) in time. See you next week.


	22. Treasuring what we Give to Others

The Red Sox win, the Red Sox win, theeeeeee RED SOX WIN!

Okay, now that that's out of the way...

Well everybody, this is it. The long awaited conclusion of Part II of the Second War Trilogy. Let me just check my records here...I first began this story on May 31st of this year of our lord, 2004. So, that is....150 days as of Wednesday, October 27th, 2004. Roughly five months. Most of you know that I normally apologise when I post a chapter late, but I won't this time. I wanted this last chapter to be perfect, so I took the extra two days to make sure it was. I'm sure I won't receive any complaints.

A project? Yes. A burden? Sometimes. A pleasure? Always. And so will Part III (which as of right now remains untitled), once I start writing it. For those of you who don't already know, I will be taking a month-long sabbatical to relax and hammer out my schoolwork that I'm behind on. Maybe I'll write another chapter to 'Who Turned Off the Water?' as many people have asked for that. But as of right now, this is the last chapter of the trilogy you're getting until December. I'll be writing a nice long A/N at the end of this chapter, to sum up anything that people may be wondering, but that's it.

A couple of people asked me why I was expecting flames about last chapter, and given some of the violence and Krum's death, I thought some people would yell at me. I guess I was mistaken, but I sure won't complain about being wrong this time ;)

So therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I give you...the final chapter of The Path Ahead.

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Chapter 22: Treasuring what we Give to Others

The flight back to Hogwarts took roughly twelve hours, given that the added weight on the brooms forced Harry and Draco to fly slower. Harry had never gone through a longer twelve hours in his life.

He knew Hermione was listening in on his thoughts, but he couldn't bring himself to shut his mind to her, or to ask her to stop. It felt too good to have her presence with him again, but Krum's death was dampening his celebration, as it should. Finally, as the topmost tower of Hogwarts became visible in the distance, Hermione spoke.

"It's not your fault, Harry," she said quietly. He couldn't bring himself to dignify that with a response. Too many times he had heard that sentence, and he was sick of it. He was sick of everything.

The castle was now fully in view, and he and Draco began their descents towards the ground. Once they were on the grounds, they dismounted along with the girls, and walked in silence into the castle.

"Must be lunchtime," Draco said, as they walked through the empty halls towards Dumbledore's office.

"Mmm," grunted Harry in response. The arrived at the gargoyle only to find it already moved aside, the hidden staircase revealed. They ascended the stairs towards the office, but stopped outside the doors when they heard voices coming from the inside.

"What if they're in trouble?" said a familiar anger-filled voice from inside.

"Dumbledore, you cannot honestly believe that they could do this all by themselves," another familiar voice said, this time feminine.

"They are not in trouble, Mister Weasley," Dumbledore's voice said. "And they _did_ rescue the girls all by themselves."

"How do you know that?" Ron asked, still angry.

"Because they are standing right outside my office door, listening to what we are saying." A flurry of footsteps was heard crossing the room, and the door was flung open by Molly Weasley to reveal her husband, Ron, David and Emma Granger, and Dumbledore who was twinkling madly as they walked into the room. The twinkle died the moment he saw the absence of Krum and their somber faces.

This, however, did not stop the parents in the room from rushing over to their children and embracing them in bone-crushing hugs, while Dumbledore motioned for Harry and Draco to come over to him.

"I take it Viktor did not survive?" he asked gravely as they reached his desk. Harry did not look up as he shook his head an inch.

"What happened?" Ron asked, floating next to Draco.

"It's....a long story," the once arrogant, now turned grave blond teen said. As if on cue, Molly Weasley spoke up.

"Where's Viktor?" she asked, turning away from Ginny. "And why is _he_ here?" she added, looking at Draco.

Her first question was answered by the defeated looks on the faces of the people around the headmaster's desk.

"He died to protect us," Harry whispered. "They hit his broom with a curse and he fell. He refused to come with us and ultimately died blowing up a large portion of the Keep."

"The Amortus Curse," Dumbledore said. "If what happened in your dream Harry is what happened not too long ago." Harry nodded.

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

For the first time in his life, Harry saw Dumbledore at a loss for words, or at least trying to phrase them in such a way to be less emotionally taxing. However, he needn't have made the effort, because Hermione answered before he could.

"Suicide," she whispered. "Turns the body into a bomb, and then goes off."

"How?" her mother asked in an awestruck whisper.

"It takes all the magic in the person's bloodstream and concentrates it in the place where magic is at its most powerful: the heart," Hermione elaborated. "And then it erupts."

"People who have seen it in the past claim there to be a brilliant white light that emanates from an aura-like effect surrounding the person before the explosion," Dumbledore said. "Which is how I knew, before anyone takes the trouble to ask."

"I agree that this is most tragic," Molly said, still holding Ginny slightly. "But my second question still hasn't been answered. What is Draco doing here?"

The person in question turned and looked to Dumbledore for some means of escape, but the look that was returned to him from the headmaster blatantly said 'It's time to fess up.'.

"I–I...I uh," he stammered, turning around to face Molly and Arthur.

"We're serious," Ginny said, without a hint of regret in her voice. Draco, however, was not as brave about the subject, and quickly cowered under the glare he received from Ginny's mother.

"You..." Molly breathed, slowly stalking over to him like a cat that has trapped a mouse it's about to eat. "After all the trouble your father, and your family has caused us, how DARE you touch my little girl!"

"I am NOT your little girl!" Ginny screeched from the other side of the room. "And if I choose to love him, then it's MY business!"

"I refuse to have the son of a death eater associating with anyone in my family!" Molly retorted, screaming. Everyone in the room (Dumbledore included) was now backing away from the two red- headed women who were now standing in the center looking as if they were about to draw wands and have at it.

"Ex-death eater," Draco mumbled, causing everyone to pause and look at him.

"What?" Molly asked, clearly annoyed and angry at him for interrupting her momentum.

"Ex-death eater," he said more clearly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, growing impatient.

"It means that he's dead," Draco replied.

A pin dropping onto the floor could have created a noise as loud as an orchestra playing Wagner. Harry thought that perhaps there could be no silence more dead than the one that followed those words. Those who didn't know the story could only stare in disbelief as the son of the man who was quite possibly Lord Voldemort's second-in-command pronounced his father dead.

"How?" Molly asked, now more curious than angry or impatient.

"I killed him."

Harry quickly found out that his previous assumption of silence was wrong. If it hadn't been for the fact that Molly's face turned from the beet red of fury to the slight pale of realisation, he would've thought time had stopped altogether.

"You what?" she asked, slightly above a whisper.

"I killed him," Draco replied, this time in a much firmer voice. "And if you don't believe me, you can ask Harry, Hermione, or Ginny whether I'm lying, as they all watched me do it." The grown- ups in the room all turned at once to Harry, and without being asked, he nodded once.

"I think," Dumbledore said, breaking the tension that hung in the air. "That it would be best if we could find out what has happened in the past day." Without waiting for a response, he promptly conjured up nine chintz armchairs for everyone to sit in, before he sat in his own behind his desk. Everyone took seats (or in Ron's case, floated into his seat), and once they were comfortable, Dumbledore spoke. "Who wants to begin?"

And, to everyone's surprise, it was Draco who opened his mouth first.

"I do." the parents in the room looked at him curiously, but Dumbledore simply nodded. "When I found out that Ginny had been taken, I went into a rage," he said, looking at the ground. "Once Potter had been released from the hospital wing, I went looking for him so I could throw every hex and curse I knew his way, but he ran into me first."

"What happened?" asked Hermione and Ginny at the same time. Harry, Draco, and Ron couldn't help but smile slightly at the girls' demeanor.

"He threatened to kill me," Harry said nonchalantly. "To make a long story short, we worked out our differences and agreed to work together to find you." He felt Hermione's hand cover his at these words, and didn't have to look at her to know what she was saying.

"Then what?" asked Molly.

"I went to use the pensieve that Professor Dumbledore gave me over Christmas, to see if I could find any clue as to where Hermione and Ginny were, but when I emptied my memory of it into the basin, I contacted Hermione through our link."

"How?" asked David Granger. "My understanding is that it only works over short distances."

"It appears that if the mind is clear enough, it can work over large distances as well," Dumbledore said. "I believe that when Harry cleared his mind by using the pensieve, his reception increased and he was able to make contact with Hermione. It faded out because the memory of the conversation was taking up the space in his head that was allowing him to talk to her through the link."

"Anyway," Harry said continuing. "I talked to Professor Dumbledore, and during that conversation I had an idea about the potion that was used on Hermione and Ginny."

"The Vulnero Draught," clarified Dumbledore, causing Harry to nod while gasps were heard from Molly and Arthur.

"What's that?" asked Emma.

"I'll explain it later," Hermione said, clearly wanting to get past this topic.

"I went to Professor Snape and asked for his help to brew the antidote, and he agreed," Harry continued. "About eight hours after we started he gave me a break. I talked to Viktor about what was going on, since I promised that I would tell him about any developments, and then left to go back to my dormitory. That's when I ran into Draco."

"I had snuck out of the castle to go back to my house to look for clues," Draco said. "I figured if it was my father who had captured Hermione and Ginny, I might be able to find something that would point to where they were. And lo and behold I ran into..." As he trailed off, both he and Harry came to the same realisation at the same time.

"Where is he?" Harry asked, making the other people in the room wonder who he was talking about.

"He must've broken the tie," Draco said. "He wasn't in the library when we went back, was he?"

"I don't remember seeing him," Harry replied. "How could we let him get away?!"

"Um...who are you talking about?" Ginny asked meekly.

"Kreacher," Draco and Harry said simultaneously.

"Kreacher?" asked Hermione incredulously. "But he was working at your mansion, Draco, how could you not have gone to him right away?"

"He wasn't always around," Draco replied. "I saw him maybe once, before I ran into him while I was searching in my father's study. It became obvious that he knew something, so I bound him to me, ordered him to tell everything he knew, and came back to Hogwarts with him to tell Harry."

"He gave me this," Harry said, removing the beat-up piece of parchment from his robes, and passed it to Molly Weasley, who showed it to Arthur with wide eyes.

"Isn't that where –" she began, but Dumbledore cut her off.

"We will discuss that later," he said. She nodded, and Harry continued with the story after a moment of confusion.

"I questioned Kreacher, but he wasn't being helpful. We started searching the library for anything on where this 'Borghund Keep' was," he said. "But we didn't find anything by the time I needed to go back to Professor Snape, so I went down to the dungeons while Draco kept searching. It must've been nearly midnight when I finally was able to return to the library, and found Draco still looking through the maps and books."

"But the Keep –" Hermione began, but Harry cut her off.

"We didn't know," Harry interrupted, "that the keep was destroyed in a war in the 7th century before being rebuilt by Voldemort recently, and therefore it wasn't in any of the books or maps that were looking through. We figured it out eventually though, and it was around the time that we were getting ready to steal the antidote..." he trailed off.

"I already knew," Dumbledore said. "Please continue."

"Well it was around then that Krum came out from under an invisibility cloak and said he was coming with us," Harry said. "I wasn't about to turn down his help, so we left the library to get our brooms and my invisibility cloak, and we met back there about ten minutes later."

"And looking back on it, Kreacher had escaped sometime while we were gone," Draco said. "I don't know why I didn't feel the tie being broken, but he definitely wasn't there."

"Kreacher disappeared shortly after the three of you left for Norway," Dumbledore said. "He was hiding in one of the bookshelves when you met back in the library, and waited until you were off the grounds before severing the tie and leaving." The other nine people looked at the headmaster in confusion. "As I've said many times, I do try to be aware of everything that happens in this school."

"Well, we stole the antidote and left," Harry said. "It took us the greater part of a day to get to the forest surrounding the keep, but we managed it. Once we were there I used the same spell that the Professor used earlier in the year to detect any death eaters." A bit of the twinkle that had left the eyes of the headmaster returned slightly after this. "We snuck past the guards and got to the main entrance of the castle..." his voice died off.

"What?" asked Ron. "What happened?"

"We had to wait for the portcullis to be raised so we could sneak inside," Draco said. "And it did raise, but I'll be the first to admit, I never expected to see the two people who walked out through that gate."

"Who were they?" asked Arthur.

"Voldemort and Wormtail," Harry answered, causing a few gasps. "He knew I was there, and ordered the gate sealed, but we got in before it closed all the way."

"And then what?" asked Dumbledore.

"He walked into the forest with Peter and disapparated," Harry said. He could tell that Dumbledore was considering this carefully and when nothing was said for another minute, he asked the professor what was on his mind.

"Nothing," Dumbledore said with a dismissive shake of his head. "Please continue."

"Well after that, I could tell that Hermione and Ginny weren't on the main floor, so we found some stairs that led into a large chamber with more stairs going off in different directions. I managed to talk to Hermione and she told me how to get to where she and Ginny were. We got to their cell, killed the guards, and got inside to give them the potion."

"That was when we heard an alarm going off," Draco said. "We ran for the main floor, but before we got there..."

"Yes?" asked Dumbledore.

"That was when we ran into Lucius and his death eaters," Ginny said. "We killed the others, and Lucius lunged at Draco."

"I sidestepped him," Draco interjected in a tone of voice that said he wanted to be the person to say this. "He said some things about me betraying him, and that's when I killed him." There was a moment of silence after this before Harry continued the story.

"We ran up the stairs and got on our brooms, but when we got to the gate, it was down," he said. "And then the death eaters attacked. We flew back into the castle looking for a way out, and they got Krum. We found a courtyard and escaped."

There was a contemplative quiet in the room after the story ended, which was broken when Dumbledore spoke.

"Very well. I think much strain has been put on everyone these past few days, and it would be wise for everyone to get some rest," he said. Everyone rose to leave, but before anyone could leave, he spoke again. "Harry, perhaps I could speak with you alone for a minute?" Harry hadn't managed to complete his nod before Hermione spoke.

"I'm staying with him," she said insistently.

"Hermione, dear –" her father began, but she cut him off.

"No, I'm staying with Harry, and that's _final_," she said with such seriousness, not a person in the room found the courage to argue.

"I want to stay too –" Ron began, but Molly cut him off.

"You will not," she said in her traditional motherly voice. "They can tell you about it later, you come with us right now, Ronald." Seeing it was going to be no use to argue, Ron floated out through the open door that Molly was holding grumbling. The other six people in the room also left, leaving only Hermione, Harry, and Dumbledore sitting there.

"Harry, I want you to tell me exactly what happened when Voldemort sensed you were there," Dumbledore said, closing the door with a wave of his hand.

"Er...he ordered the gate shut, and Draco, Krum, and I dived under it just in time," Harry said, a look of slight confusion on his face. "Why?"

"Did anything happen after that? Did he try to penetrate your mind at all?"

"Yeah," said Harry remembering the strain against his mind after they were inside the castle. "I tried to put up a brick wall in my head to prevent him from getting inside."

"Did you succeed?" Harry thought about this for a moment before answering.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. "But Voldemort seemed convinced that even if I was there, I wouldn't get past the guards, so he left." Dumbledore let out a sigh at this. "Is there something wrong?"

"Do you remember anything about the Order meeting in which Hermione was inducted?" Dumbledore asked. Harry cast his mind back, but from the look on Hermione's face, she already knew what was coming.

"Er...no," he said.

"The Tromhund Crypt?" Hermione asked.

"Ohhhhh," Harry said, vaguely remembering something along those lines mentioned. "Yeah...hey wait, I think I remember reading something about the king who destroyed the Keep –"

"Was looking for the Crypt, yes," Dumbledore finished for him. "In truth, he was looking in the right place, for that is exactly where the Crypt is located. However, since he did not have the key, he couldn't get in."

"Where is this key?" Harry asked. "Wasn't Voldemort looking for it or something?" Dumbledore nodded.

"And that is exactly why he let you enter the castle," he said. "The catacombs in which he hid Hermione are rumored to hold the key to the Crypt as well."

"Well, why have me look for it then?" Harry asked. "Why not go searching for it himself, or send his death eaters to do it for him?"

"It's well protected," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Booby traps and such."

"Well, why would I go looking for it while I was trying to find Hermione?"

"You wouldn't," Dumbledore answered. "But Voldemort's overconfidence is his weakness. I would assume that he planned on tricking you into going to look for it using your connection, but when you managed to close it, he must have figured that you were nowhere near him. Tom seems to be under the impression that your skills are no match for his," he finished with a smile.

"That still doesn't explain it," Harry said. "What if I manage to get the key?"

"He would lead you to Hermione, have you reach the main floor of the castle, then have his death eaters swarm you and take the key," Dumbledore answered. "The only reason they weren't already waiting for you is because you caught them off guard. Had Voldemort established the link, you more than likely would have been met with the mass of death eaters that took Viktor the moment you stepped foot above ground, instead of when you reached the gate." Harry thought this made sense, and sat in contemplative thought for a moment before something nagged at his brain.

"What's in the Crypt that's so special?" he asked. A smile appeared on Dumbledore's face at this.

"The correct question is: What is rumored to be in the Crypt that makes it so special?" he said.

"Okay, so what is it?" Harry asked. The headmaster got up and walked over to a cabinet in the back of his office that Harry had never noticed before. He muttered a series of unlocking charms, and the door opened to reveal a faint greenish glow. Dumbledore beckoned Harry and Hermione over, and when they saw what was hidden in the closet, Hermione let out a gasp.

"The Green Flame Torch," Dumbledore said. "The source of all evil in the world."

"But if you have it, how could Voldemort –" Harry began, but was cut off by the headmaster.

"The Crypt was only a rumored resting place for the torch," he said. "I myself retrieved it decades ago to combat a dark wizard."

"Grindlewald," Harry said, remembering their conversation in the waiting room of one of the wards in St. Mungo's earlier in the year.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, watching the emerald flame dance slightly in the shadows of the cupboard. "I channeled some of its energy unto myself, and then sent it at Grindlewald amplified tenfold."

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"He...what is it that muggles say? Exploded?" Dumbledore said with a twinkle. "The energy was too much for him. He couldn't handle all that evil power and sort of burst like a balloon."

"Can I use this to kill Voldemort then?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid not," the headmaster replied. "It requires dueling to use effectively, and you and Tom cannot duel without complications, as I'm sure you remember all too well."

"Great," said Harry walking back over to his armchair and plopping down in it.

"Do not be discouraged," Dumbledore said, closing the closet and sitting back down behind his desk, Hermione taking her seat next to Harry. "We will find a way. We have to."

"You mean I have to," Harry said, looking at his hands.

"Harry..." Hermione said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I mean it," he said, looking up. "Why is it, that no matter what I do, it's never good enough?!" he shouted.

"You saved two very important young women from a terrible fate," the headmaster said. "Is that not good enough?"

"Krum got killed!" Harry retorted. "I don't call that a success."

"But was it not better than failure?" Dumbledore asked. Harry couldn't hold it in any longer as small sobs came forth, silver tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I just don't want to do it anymore," he said. "I just want to not have to worry about people dying because of this war."

"You will have to end it before you can realise that dream," the aged wizard said.

"I don't want to end it!" Harry shouted. "I don't want to have to kill Voldemort, I don't want the responsibility! WHY ME?! WHY IS IT ME WHO HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?!"

"Because whether you want to believe it or not, Harry, you are the only one with the power to do something about it," Dumbledore said. "I think we have talked enough for now. Why don't you two go and get some rest?" Hermione silently thanked the headmaster as she helped a crying Harry stand and walk out of the office.

Some ten minutes later they arrived at the portrait hole and entered to find Ron waiting for them.

"What happened?" he asked, seeing Harry's grief-stricken face.

"Voldemort," Harry said shaking his head.

"What's new?" responded Ron sarcastically.

"Listen, Ron, we're really tired, perhaps we could talk about this tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Sure thing," he said. "Get some sleep." Harry and Hermione said their thanks before slowly making their way up to the Head Boy room. Entering and sealing the door with a locking charm, they collapsed on the bed in each other's arms, neither daring to let go for fear of losing the other.

"I was so scared," Hermione said after a minute, "that I would never get to see you again and tell you how much I love you."

"You don't need to tell me that for me to know it," Harry replied, tightening his grip on her. "But if it makes a difference, I felt the same way."

"I missed you," she said, tears shining in her cinnamon eyes.

"So did I," Harry said. "Merlin, so did I."

The day after they had returned, Dumbledore made to address the school, but as he was about to begin his speech, Harry interrupted and requested that he be able to tell what happened. With a slight smile and a nod, the headmaster acquiesced and Harry proceeded to tell the story of what had happened to the entire school, leaving out some of the gorier details along with the death of Lucius Malfoy.

"At least you got those death eaters good," Ron said, as Harry sat back down at the Gryffindor table to tumultuous applause. "I wish I could've been with you."

"You would've liked to see a Reductor Curse connect with a human head?" Harry asked, pushing his food away slightly.

"Oh," Ron said. "Yeah, I imagine that wasn't too pleasant."

"Quite correct," Harry replied.

"So how did the ghost meeting go?" Hermione asked, also pushing her food away.

"As well as could be expected without Dumbledore there," Ron said sighing. "I don't think I changed many opinions. We're going to go back over the summer to try to convince more. With Dumbledore present we should get a lot more to join our ranks."

"How many do we have right now?" Harry asked.

"About fifty," Ron said. "Granted, one ghost could take on a hundred humans single-handedly, but still, you never know when it comes to You-Know-Who."

"Ain't that the bloody truth," Harry mumbled.

After breakfast, Harry and Hermione went out to the lakeside tree with Ron and told him of what had transpired in Dumbledore's office after everyone left, to which the ghost could only shake his head and laugh.

"You got off easy," he said. "When mum found out that I knew about Draco and Ginny all this time, she went ballistic on me."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Not much, since you can't really threaten a person who's already dead with anything," Ron said with a smile. "But I did get quite an earful."

"I'll bet," said a drawling voice from behind them. They turned around to see Draco and Ginny walking towards them hand in hand.

"So you've decided to stop keeping your relationship quiet, then?" Harry asked.

"No need to anymore," Draco said with a slight frown. "After all, my life isn't on the line now."

"What about your mother?" Hermione asked. Draco could only shrug.

"I don't plan on telling her how my father died, if that's what you're asking," he said. "I guess I'll just go home and then move out as fast as I can."

"You're welcome to stay with us," Ginny said. "That is, if you want to."

"I am?" Draco asked.

"He is?" Ron asked at the same time. Ginny glared at her brother.

"Of course he is, you stupid git," she said pursing her lips. "He saved my life, he's welcome to stay at the Burrow."

"Fine, fine," Ron grumbled.

"Anyway, we're off to talk to Hagrid, so we'll see you later," Ginny said. The trio bade them farewell and turned back to the lake.

"Well, what now?" Harry asked.

"N.E.W.T.'s and graduation," Ron said. Harry groaned.

"I had completely forgotten about that."

"You mean to tell me you didn't do ANY studying while I was gone?" Hermione asked playfully.

"I _did_ have more important things on my mind," Harry replied.

"True. Well let's get to studying then!"

"You've got to be kidding," Harry said. "On a gorgeous day like this?"

"Do you want to become an Auror or not?" Hermione asked. Grumbling, Harry rose to his feet and turned to Ron.

"You coming?" he asked.

"Nah, go ahead," the ghost replied. "I'll sit out here for a while."

"You okay, mate?" Harry asked, sensing something was wrong.

"I just still miss her sometimes, and what with all this death..."

"I know," Harry said gravely. "But I'm still keeping that promise." Ron turned and looked at him.

"Promise?"

"That I'll get his wand for you." Ron nodded and turned back to the lake, and Harry and Hermione gave him one last glance before heading back inside the castle.

Nothing else of importance happened for the rest of the school year. Harry and Hermione hadn't been to any Order meetings since they had returned, so Ron was keeping them informed of all that was going on, which was apparently nothing.

N.E.W.T.'s came and went, and just like the O.W.L.'s the students would be receiving their results over the summer. Harry was quite glad that the schoolwork was over, and to his surprise, so was Hermione. The day before the graduation ceremony, they were summoned into Dumbledore's office, along with Ron and Draco.

"How come Ginny isn't here?" Draco asked, immediately realising that she wasn't present.

"She is still only a sixth year," Dumbledore reminded him.

"Oh," he said sheepishly. "Right."

"Perhaps you are all wondering why I've asked you here today?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm guessing it has to go with graduation tomorrow?" Harry answered.

"Quite right," the headmaster said. "I wish each of you to write a speech to give to the class, and those parents who show up."

"Harry and I already had speeches," Hermione said. "Do you want us to do another, or–" Dumbledore held up his hand to keep her from rambling.

"I think it would be best for you to include the speeches I'm requesting you to write in your Head Boy and Girl ones," he said.

"Well, what do you want us to talk about?" Ron asked. Dumbledore paused for a moment as if to consider the best way to phrase his answer.

"Your lives," he finally said.

"Our lives?" asked Ron, slightly confused.

"Yes," replied Dumbledore. "I want you each to write about what your seven years here have helped you understand about life, and how they have changed them."

"Isn't that a bit broad?" Ron asked.

"I'm not asking you to write everything you know about life," Dumbledore said. "Merely to write about how your own personal experiences have helped changed your outlook on it." The four students nodded thoughtfully at this. "Now, go and get to it. I daresay you enough to prepare for as it is."

The four of them left the headmaster's office and upon reaching the hall below, stopped in thought.

"That was certainly an unusual request," Harry commented.

"I suppose," Hermione said. "I guess he wants us to put the hardships we've been through in perspective for everyone else."

"I don't understand why he wanted me to do it too, though," Ron said. "I mean, I wasn't with you guys. Why do I have to write a speech?"

"Experiencing death could have something to do with it," Harry replied.

"Oh yeah."

"You've been awfully quiet for most of this, Draco," Hermione said. The blond turned to look at her and opened his mouth to say something, but apparently decided against it, for he turned his heel and walked away towards the Slytherin common room.

"What was that about?" Ron asked. Hermione shrugged.

"I have no idea."

"Come on," Harry said. "Let's get back to the common room and get to work."

"I never thought I'd see the day where it was you who said that and not Hermione," Ron said with a smile as they started to ascend the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Ha, ha, h –" Hermione began, but stopped short when a familiar figure in black robes turned the corner and started walking down the marble staircase towards them.

Harry and Ron too stopped, as Snape made his way past the trio without a word. He and Harry hadn't really spoken after he had returned, which had its ups and downs. On one hand, Snape didn't deduct any house points or berate Harry or Hermione in class anymore, but on the other he refused to comment on their finished potions, so Harry never had any idea how he had done. Realising this mutual silence couldn't go on forever, he turned around to call after his teacher.

"Professor!" he shouted just as Snape reached the bottom step. The potions master stopped to show he was listening, but that was all. Harry walked down the steps and stopped a few above where Snape was standing. "I...er...never really got to talk to you after what happened."

Silence.

"Er...I wanted to apologise for breaking into your office and stealing the antidote..."

More silence.

"And I wanted to thank you for saving Hermione and Ginny's lives..."

Yet more silence.

"Er....that's it."

Again, silence.

Slightly frustrated and disappointed, Harry turned and made to rejoin Ron and Hermione who were watching the exchange intently. He had only ascended four steps, however, before Snape spoke.

"Your father would be disappointed in you." Harry stopped and looked at his potions master, who had finally turned around.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked. Snape snorted derisively.

"He would never have wanted any son of his to thank a man he loathed so much." Harry considered this a moment.

"Maybe not, but my mother would have," he replied. Snape thought about this for a moment, and then turned around to walk away, but did not do so before looking back at Harry.

"It's good to see that some of Lily's traits have been granted to you," he said. "You exhibited only James' qualities for far too long." With that he walked off down the hall towards the dungeons. Harry couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto his face as he walked back up to Ron and Hermione.

"That went well," she said as he reached them.

"I think he finally realised that I'm not my father, even though I used to act like him," Harry said.

"Think he still hates you?" Ron asked. Harry chuckled.

"With Snape, one never knows, do they?" he said with a smile. They shared a chuckle as they made their way up the stairs towards the tower, and a few minutes later reached the portrait of the fat lady.

"Looking forward to graduating?" Harry asked Hermione as Ron said the password for them to enter.

"Yes," she said as the walked into the common room. "I'm looking forward to having a summer where I can just read at my own leisure, without any assignments." This elicited a chuckle from Ron and Harry as they sat down on the unoccupied couch by the fire.

"You know," Ron said. "I'm going to miss this place."

"Yeah, me too," Harry said. "But somehow I don't think this is the last we're going to see of it."

"Well let's get to it," Hermione said getting up and summoning quills and parchment from the Head Girl's room. "We've got speeches to write."

The day came and went, and the following day Harry and Hermione were getting changed for the graduation ceremony in his room.

"Hermione, you don't need to worry about it, you look fine," Harry said as she adjusted her dress robes for the sixth time.

"I want it to be the best it can be," she said, looking in the mirror. "There will be people from the Daily Prophet there to take pictures, and as the Head Girl, I want to look my best."

"You look perfect no matter what you wear," he said, placing gentle kisses on the crook of her neck.

"Harry..." Hermione said warningly, but it was only half-hearted. "After the ceremony. We really can't get all undressed now that we're done up."

"I know an excellent spell that could rectify that," he whispered into her ear, causing a small shiver to pass through her body.

"Later," she said regaining some resolve and turning around. "I promise."

"I hope so," Harry mumbled to himself, but Hermione caught it.

"What did that mean?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Harry said with a smile. "Come on, Ron should be waiting downstairs."

The truth was, it wasn't nothing. Since their escape with Draco and Ginny, Harry had been contemplating something very carefully, and with the help of two certain Weasley twins, he had decided to go with his instinct and do it.

As he and Hermione walked down the stairs to the common room, he played with the velvet box that was hidden carefully inside one of the pockets of his dress robes, wondering whether or not it was going to be the right thing to do.

"Hey guys, what took you so long?" Ron asked with a dung-eating grin as they made their way through the crowd of 7th years to the couch.

"Nothing of your concern," said Hermione sticking out her tongue. "Why aren't you changed?"

"It's not really like I _can_ change," Ron said with a scoff. "Less have anything to change into."

"Oh, right."

"Hey, Ron, can I talk to you for a moment?" Harry asked. Ron gave Hermione a confused look, who shrugged.

"Sure, I guess." Harry got up with a nod and led Ron away from the couch where Hermione was still sitting into the corner of the common room. "What's this about?"

"I'm going to ask Hermione to marry me." Ron laughed at this.

"I can't believe they were telling the truth."

"What?" asked Harry.

"Fred and George," explained Ron. "They sent me an owl a few days ago saying that I should be expecting an engagement announcement from you two soon, but I thought they were just joking." Harry pulled out the velvet box and showed the contents to Ron, causing the ghost's eyes to bulge.

"They weren't."

"I can see that," Ron said as Harry closed the box and put it back in his robes. "Bloody hell, mate, how much did that thing cost?"

"A good amount," Harry said, watching Hermione on the couch playing with a strand of her milk- chocolate hair. "But she's worth every knut."

"I'm sure she'll say yes," Ron said comfortingly. "We've all known it was inevitable anyway."

"Thanks," Harry said rolling his eyes.

"Come on," Ron said. "We have speeches to deliver."

"Did you get Ginny to write it for you?" Harry asked as they walked back over to the sofa.

"Yep," Ron nodded. "She's going to be there anyway for Malfoy, so she gave the paper to him and when it's my turn he'll put the parchment up on the podium for me."

"All set?" Hermione asked. The boys nodded. "Well, let's get going, Dumbledore asked us to be there a little early."

"Got your speech?" Harry asked as they made their way towards the portrait hole.

"Uh huh," she said as she checked to make sure it was there. The three of them made their way down to the Great Hall for the ceremony and upon entering it looked around at the changes.

The four great tables had vanished, and were replaced with hundreds of chairs for the friends and family of those graduating (some of which were already present), and another hundred or so for the graduates. The staff table remained, but an oak podium with the Hogwarts crest engraved on the front stood in front of it.

"Ah'm glad ter see yeh made it," said Hagrid from behind an enormous box containing diplomas. "Got yer speeches all ready?"

"Yep," chorused Harry, Ron, and Hermione all at once.

"Ah," said Dumbledore coming from the antechamber and closing the door behind him. "Good to see you are here early. The rest of the students seem to be filing in now, so you can take your seats at the front." They did so, and were joined a little while later by Draco, who seemed lost in thought.

Finally about twenty minutes later everyone was seated and the ceremony was ready to begin. Dumbledore stood up from his seat at the staff table and raised his hands in the air.

"Seven years ago, these students before you came to our beloved Hogwarts unaware of the individual adventures that they would each experience before their time was out." He gave a small glance at Harry as he said this. "Each as unique as the person the adventure surrounded. However, there are four among us today who have had the chance to experience something that very few of us get to, that very few of us want to, and I have asked them to say a few words, describing what that experience is like. Mister Malfoy, if you would be so kind."

Draco got up from his seat and solemnly walked to the front of the room, placing a crumpled piece of parchment on the pedestal when he got there.

"Growing up as a Malfoy wasn't easy," he began with a slight sigh. "My mother always insisted that I listen to my father, and my father preached prejudiced ideas against muggles and muggle- borns. My father, for those of who don't know, was the late death-eater Lucius Malfoy." There was a low murmur from the crowd at this, and Harry noticed, when he turned around to scan the room, that Narcissa was visibly absent from the audience. "When I came to Hogwarts, I was under the belief that I was special because of my wealth and parentage. That didn't change until the beginning of this school year, when a special person changed my life for the better." Behind Harry, Hermione, and Ron, Ginny sat with a single tear of happiness running down her cheek. "I learned to forget what I had been taught, and started thinking for people beside myself. Only a few months ago were my ideals put to the test, when I was faced with the choice of pledging allegiance to the Dark Lord, or forsaking him and choosing the one I loved. I chose the latter, and though I have made many enemies in the process, I have made many more friends. My seven years here helped me realise the error of my, and my father's ways, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you." As Draco stepped down from the podium to applause, he left the piece of parchment up there that was Ron's speech.

"Very well spoken," Dumbledore said as the clapping died down. "For our next speech, the late Ronald Weasley." Ron drifted up to the front of the room and cleared his throat.

"The day that I went to King's Cross station for my first ride on the Hogwarts Express, a small, skinny boy with unruly black hair came up to my mum and asked how to get onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. I think that every facet of my life since I met Harry Potter has revolved around him in some way." There were some chuckles at this while Harry could only roll his eyes. "But he helped me in more ways than one. He taught me that there are more things to life than materials and possessions, that while I was jealous of him because everything centered around him and he had all the fame, he was jealous of me because I had family. And I had to stop and ask myself, 'Why should any human have to be jealous of another because of a lack of parents?' I couldn't come up with a reasonable answer. No man, woman, or child should have to endure life without a family, and immediately my concerns about wealth and avarice were quelled. Harry Potter taught me that love is the only thing of which any person should be envious, and for that, I thank him. I dedicate this speech to Luna. Thank you." There was again applause as Ron drifted back to his seat beside Hermione, and Dumbledore stood once again.

"More true words I have not heard spoken," the headmaster said with a smile. "And I have heard quite a bit." This got a small chuckle from the crowd. "Now, please welcome our Head Girl, Hermione Granger."

Slowly, Hermione rose from her chair and walked to the front, her parents giving her large smiles from their seats a little way back in the mass of chairs. With a breath, she unfolded her parchment and began.

"Before I came to Hogwarts, I wasn't very well liked," she said with a sad smile. "I was bossy, stubborn, and had to know everything."

'You're still kind of like that,' Harry said silently with a sly grin. Hermione shot him a death glare and he quickly looked the other way.

"On Hallowe'en all those years ago, I was greeted while I was in the girl's lavatory by a large mountain troll, who had been let into the castle by a certain Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry and Ron came and found me, and ended up knocking the troll unconscious, thereby saving my life. From then on, the three of us became friends. It was the first time I had friends, and it was strange at first, but welcome. I learned to not be so impatient with frustrations and in time grew to realise feelings for a certain person who currently holds my heart in his hand. Therefore I thank Ron Weasley for being such an excellent friend over the years, and I thank Harry Potter for being my other half over these years. Hogwarts taught me a lot of things, but the most pertinent was that there are more important things than books and cleverness. There's friendship, and bravery, and most of all love. Thank you." The usual applause was given as Hermione stepped down, and Harry made sure to give her a kiss on the cheek as she sat down next to him.

"Quite excellent," said Dumbledore, once again rising. "And now, for our final speaker. Please lend your ears to a young man I consider myself privileged to know, and honored to be a friend of. The Head Boy, Mister Harry Potter." Silence greeted these words as Harry got up from his chair and walked to the front of the room, standing behind the podium. After a moment of consideration, he began.

"My life hasn't been what one would call easy," he said. "At the age of one, my parents were murdered by Lord Voldemort." Gasps were heard at the name. "For the next ten years, I was forced to live under the extremely stressful care of my aunt and uncle, who despise magic and wizard-kind alike. When Hagrid brought me my letter all those years ago, the only word to describe the emotion I felt is elation. I would finally be able to go to a place where I wasn't constantly ridiculed by those who were, or felt superior to me, where I could make friends.

"That was how I came to Hogwarts," he continued. "In my very first year, I faced Lord Voldemort in his parasitic form, feeding off of energy from Quirrel. In my second, the memory of Tom Riddle threatened the very lives of the students in this school, and nearly killed two people who matter greatly to me: Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. I followed Riddle into the depths of the Chamber of Secrets with the help of Ron, and killed the basilisk residing there before destroying the memory of Voldemort. With my third year came the escape of Sirius Black, and though I wasn't forced to deal with Voldemort directly, one of his most faithful servants, Peter Pettigrew, revealed himself and escaped to his master's protection. Sirius' name wasn't cleared, and he was forced to flee on the back of a condemned hippogriff. And I was forced to go back and live with the Dursleys.

"My fourth year was the worst up to that point. A death eater impersonating Alastor Moody came and entered me in the Triwizard Tournament, which, in the end, resulted in Cedric Diggory and I being portkeyed to the graveyard where Voldemort's father rests. I watched as Cedric was killed, and was then tied to a tombstone while blood was taken forcibly from me. I then witnessed the rebirth of the Dark Lord who currently plagues our world. I dueled with him, and barely escaped with my life to tell the story, but none aside from those closest to me believed a word.

"In my fifth year, I learned of a prophecy and witnessed Sirius Black, the person most closely connected to my father, be murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. Sixth year held the deaths of Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood, who were and still are both very excellent friends of mine. And so seventh year came around, along with my new relationship with Hermione. Before we were even at the school, we were attack and forced into the past where I met my parents. It was nice to be in a world where a madman wasn't after my head every second of every minute of every day, even though Voldemort did exist in that time. We eventually returned, and not four months after our return Hermione was taken by the death eaters we all fear. In the effort to rescue them, Viktor Krum was killed. I did not know Krum as well as I knew Sirius or Luna, but he was a good friend to me this year, and without him we would surely not have escaped. May he rest in peace.

"And so, as I looked back at all the adventures I've had over the years, I couldn't help but chuckle slightly, because these adventures will make for incredible stories for my grandchildren someday. For if there is anything that Hogwarts has taught me, it is to find the light when darkness consumes us. Thank you."

The most noticeable difference that Harry's speech had on the assembled guests was that they were all too shocked to applaud as he returned to his seat.

"Harry, you do know that not everyone knew about all of that, right mate?" Ron asked as Dumbledore rose once again to speak.

"Yeah," he replied as Dumbledore began to announce the names of students to come and collect their diplomas. "But that's what I wanted. Everyone has been misled by the lies of Fudge and the Daily Prophet, so I wanted everyone to understand exactly what has happened here."

"I think it was wonderful," Hermione said. "Besides, now people will come to realise just how foolish the Prophet is."

"And speaking of Fudge," Ron said. "Weren't they going to replace him as Minister?"

"They've removed him from office," Draco said, startling the three of them. "The vote took longer than they expected, and they haven't chosen a replacement yet."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked. Draco turned at him and smiled.

"Well, I _did_ inherit my father's ability to convince people," he said. "I simply applied for a job in the Ministry, and after I explained the situation they hired me. I'm starting in a week, so I do know some of the little bureaucratic things that are going on."

"They just believed you?" Hermione asked incredulously as Mandy Brocklehurst's name was called.

"Well...not at first," Draco said with a grin. "But I convinced them to give me a...what do muggles call them? A lie-detector test? And after that they couldn't refuse."

"So you went during the school year?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, the day after we got back," Draco said as Justin Finch-Fletchley rose to get his diploma. "You remember, Ginny and I were going to see Hagrid. We needed him to help us get a pair of thestrals to ride into London."

"And Dumbledore just went along with it?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, he actually seemed quite happy when I requested it," Draco said as Hermione's name was called, but she didn't hear it.

"I wonder why?" said Harry truthfully.

"Hermione Granger!" said Dumbledore a little louder, jarring the four of them back to reality and making Hermione blush a deep red as she walked up to Dumbledore and received her diploma from him.

"Sorry," she whispered as took the scroll from him.

"Not at all," he replied with a twinkle. She made her way back towards the boys who were snickering as she sat down.

"Oh honestly, quit it," she said, hitting Harry on the leg lightly.

"Sorry," they chorused. The four of them avoided conversing for the rest of the ceremony, and Draco, Harry, and finally Ron (whose diploma had to be taken by Molly, since he couldn't take it himself) all had their diplomas and were waiting for the reception to begin.

"Now, if you would all please rise from your seats," Dumbledore asked. "We can begin the festivities." Once everyone was standing, he made all the chairs and the podium disappear with a wave of his wand, and replaced them with the same small tables that had been present those years ago during the Yule Ball. A long table appeared on the right side of the hall with extremely large portions of various foods, serving as a buffet.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to sit with Ginny," Draco said standing up. The three of them bade him farewell as he walked over to where Ginny was sitting with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"He's got a lot of brass to go over there while Mum and Dad are right next to her," Ron said. "I'm impressed."

"Aren't we supposed to toss up our hats or something?" Harry said vaguely remembering something he had seen on the telly at the Dursley's once.

"That's a muggle tradition," Hermione said laughing. "Besides, I've always thought it was rather silly."

"Cheers to that," Ron said, pulling out the pouch that Fred and George had given him over Christmas and sprinkling some of the dust on his empty plate. "I'm off to eat my fill."

"Have fun," Harry said as the ghost drifted over to the smorgasbord.

"You don't mind if I go and sit with my parents for a bit, do you?" Hermione asked.

"Not at all," Harry said. "I'll come over and say hi in a minute." Hermione nodded and got up from the table, leaving Harry sitting there by himself, who was still feeling apprehensive about what he was going to do shortly. His self-contained thoughts were short-lived though, as a familiar voice brought him back to reality.

"Ah, there he is!" said Fred Weasley sitting down on Harry's right.

"We've been looking for you all over," George said, sitting on his left.

"What're you guys doing here?" Harry asked, causing smiles to appear on the twins' faces.

"Well we didn't want to miss you popping the big question, especially since we're the ones who referred you to the jeweler's." George said.

"Not to mention that I'd really missed a good Hogwarts feast," said his brother.

"What're you guys doing here?" Ron asked, echoing Harry as he floated down into the last vacant seat at the table with a plateful of transparent food.

"We're here to see Harry and Hermione's engagement," they said in unison.

"'o you're 'oing to 'o frew wiff it ven?" Ron asked, his mouth stuffed.

"Yeah," Harry replied, looking at where Hermione was sitting with her parents, laughing at something David had just said.

"She'll say yes, mate," George said. "She's too head over heels not to."

"Thanks."

The rest of the meal went smoothly. Harry went over and said hello to Hermione's parents, along with Molly and Arthur and a few others that he knew. Several people had come up to him during the feast to congratulate him on his moving speech, including Neville and his grandmother, and Seamus' parents.

Finally everyone had eaten their fill, and with another wave of his wand, Dumbledore moved all the tables to the sides so that a dance floor was created. Where the buffet table once stood, a stage now occupied that space on which the Weird Sisters were once again waiting with instruments in hand.

"Before we begin the dance," Dumbledore said. "I would like to congratulate each and every one of the students who have completed their seven years here. I will not offer any words of advice or wisdom here save six. This is your night, enjoy it!" Applause rang throughout the hall as the Sisters struck up the first tune of the night, a slow paced song that sounded like it was from the late fifties or early sixties, given that the band was using a muggle saxophone.

"Perhaps I could have this dance?" Hermione asked in a very formal tone of voice.

"Of course, my lady," Harry responded with a smile. They walked out onto the dance floor along with several other couples and Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione waist while she wrapped hers around his neck.

"I wanted to do this with you all night the last time we had a dance here," she said reminiscently.

"All I could think about that evening was how amazing you looked," Harry replied with a far off gaze. Hermione noticed this and cocked her head slightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, desperately trying to keep their connection closed for fear of her finding out about his plans.

"Is there a reason you won't let me into your head?" she asked.

"A good one," Harry said with a smile. "You'll find out soon." He could tell Hermione wasn't quite convinced, but she relented and so they stood there rocking back and forth, continuing to be content in each other's presence.

A few hours later an announcement was made that the song after the next one would be the last. Harry and Hermione were sitting at their table with Ron, Fred, and George, though the twins, using a Disillusionment Charm, made themselves invisible so as not to alert Hermione to their presence.

"A dance?" Harry asked, extending his hand towards her.

"Of course," she replied getting up. As they stood from the table, Harry distinctly heard Ron whisper 'good luck' to him. They got out onto the floor and proceeded to wrap their arms around each other, dancing to the slow tune. Harry had fleeting thoughts of not going through with his plan, when Hermione saw the look again and took the situation out of his hands.

"Harry, honestly, are you feeling all right? You've been acting sort of distant all evening." Harry couldn't help but smile at her ability to sense when he was nervous, even when he was keeping her out of his mind.

"I'm nervous," he replied truthfully.

"About leaving school?" she asked. Harry smiled and shook his head.

"No....no," he said. "About us." Hermione loosened her grip on his neck and stepped back so she could look him in the eye.

"What about us?" she asked, now easily as nervous as Harry.

"Hermione...I love you very much..."

"But?" she asked when he trailed off.

"But lately I've been doing some thinking, and I realised that if something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to live with it – "

"Harry, what are you –"

"And I also realised," he pressed on, "that if something were to happen to me, the world would never know how much I truly loved you. When you got kidnapped, I realised that life was too short for me to hold off what I knew I wanted, what I needed to do from the moment I said 'I love you'."

"What's that?" Hermione whispered, feeling as if she knew what was coming. Harry answered her by removing the black velvet box from his robes and getting down on one knee. Hermione could only bring her hand to her mouth as tears started to roll from her eyes as Harry opened the box to reveal a gorgeous platinum band ring with an emerald situated in the middle, flanked by two small diamonds.

"Hermione Jane Granger, you mean more to me than my own life, and you are the missing part that completes it. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Harry..." the tears were flowing freely now, and she had to resist the urge to tackle him to the ground and snog him senseless there. "Of course I'll marry you."

Harry slipped the engagement ring on her finger, stood back up, and was promptly smothered by Hermione who had crushed her lips to his. In the back of his mind, he vaguely registered a noise similar to when rain is hitting a window, then realised that the entire assembly was watching them and applauding.

'We have an audience,' he said silently, not breaking the kiss.

'I know,' she replied. 'We've certainly given them something to talk about, haven't we?'

"We sure have," Harry said, removing his lips from hers. They were immediately flooded by the onlookers, shouts of 'way to go, Harry!' and 'congratulations, you guys!' were being cried left and right. Finally, after five minutes or so of celebration, Dumbledore raised his hands for silence.

"As this is the last song of the night," he said, his twinkle shining at full power. "I would like to dedicate it to the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Potter." More applause rang out at this, and the Weird Sisters struck up one last slow tune to which Harry wasted no time in embracing Hermione for the first time as his fiancee.

"Congratulations, mate," said Fred clapping Harry on the shoulder, having removed the disillusionment charm.

"Yes, yes, quite smashing, if I may say so," his brother said, appearing on the other side.

"Fred! George! What are you two doing here?" Hermione asked, surprised to see them.

"As we were the ones who showed Harry to the place where he got that million galleon ring of yours, we wanted to be there when you two officially got engaged," Fred replied.

"Thank you," she said kissing each of them on the cheek lightly.

"Well, we'd best be going now that we've seen what we came here to see," said George. "We're expecting a shipment of squid ink for a new product we're testing."

"Good luck with that," Harry said with a grin. The twins nodded and exited the Great Hall, waving at a few people as they went.

"That was nice of them to show up," Hermione said. "You didn't really spend a million galleons on this, did you?" she asked looking at the ring longingly.

"Nah," Harry said with a chuckle. "But it's not like I couldn't afford a million dollar ring even if I wanted to buy one for you."

"I love you," she said, resting her head on his chest.

"I love you too."

A few minutes later, the song ended and people started saying their goodbyes. The students would be staying another day for the End of Term feast, then going home on the Hogwarts Express the following day. Hermione's parents had not hesitated to give their daughter's hand to Harry, and to express their congratulations. Molly Weasley was especially teary when she embraced Harry in one of her famous bone-crushing hugs, and even Ron seemed a bit more cheerful at finally seeing his two best friends agree to tie the knot. Finally, after twenty minutes of goodbyes and well-wishes, Harry and Hermione were left in the Great Hall with only Dumbledore.

"My congratulations," the headmaster said coming over to them. "But it was a long time coming, if I may say so."

"You may," Harry said, shaking the headmaster's hand. "I'm going to miss being a student here, professor."

"And I'll miss seeing the two of you in my office every other day for one reason or another," he said jokingly with a smile. "Perhaps I should let the two of you get to sleep; you have another feast to empty your stomachs for, remember."

Harry smiled and thanked the headmaster again, but when Dumbledore held out his hand to Hermione, she pushed it away and instead embraced him in a hug, which, although it caught the aged wizard by surprise, he quickly reciprocated. As she pulled away, new tears were glistening in her eyes.

"I'm going to miss this place," she said tearily.

"Well I do believe that Harry said it best when he said that you'll definitely see more of it before your days are over," Dumbledore replied with a twinkle.

"You heard that?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Well, as you well know by now, I like to know –"

"Everything that goes on in this school," Harry and Hermione chorused together. Dumbledore nodded with a smile.

"I shall see you tomorrow, then," he said. Harry and Hermione nodded and walked out into the Entrance Hall, but stopped there.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Harry asked, wanting to get some fresh air and have some time alone with his fiancee.

"Sure," she replied.

They walked out of the castle and down by the lake, finally stopping at the tree that had come to be their own personal tree. Sitting down against the trunk, Harry looked up into the night sky at the stars and couldn't help but think about how much his life had changed over the course of the year. Meeting one's dead parents could do that.

"What do you reckon they're doing right now?" he asked, gazing into the dotted heavens.

"Your parents?" Hermione asked.

"And Sirius," he said. "I wonder if they'd approve of us being married."

"I have no doubt they would," Hermione said, resting her head against Harry's shoulder.

"I miss them," Harry said. "Ever since we've returned I've felt like they've died all over again."

"I know," Hermione replied. "They were starting to grow on me too."

They stayed like that for over an hour, simply sitting and wondering about the past and the future. Voldemort was still at large, and was going to have to be dealt with sooner or later, but that was in the future. The memories of his parents and Sirius still saddened him, but they were in the past, and were not to be dwelled on. No, if Harry had truly figured out anything that year, it was that one had to concentrate on where one was, not where one wanted to be.

And as if to agree with everything Harry had done in the past two hours, just as he looked up into the heavens one last time before heading back into the castle with the love of his life, he could've sworn that the Dog Star winked at him.

To be concluded...

---------------

And there you have it. What a road it has been, writing these 450 some pages all for the sole purpose of mine and other people's amusement. That's the one thing that will never cease to amaze me about fanfiction. We get nothing out of it, aside from giving other people an enjoyable read, which, in turn, makes us authors happy. And there's nothing else I would ever want from it.

I still haven't decided on the name of Part III yet, but hopefully by the time I update Who Turned Off the Water, I will have and will let you all know. The first chapter of the last part of the trilogy will probably go up sometime in early December, so expect it around then.

As for this chapter (and more importantly, story) I hope you all liked it. I don't write almost 12,000 word chapters often, so be happy you got what you did ;)

As for me, I'm taking a nice, well deserved (in my opinion anyway) break, to catch up with my schoolwork that I'm behind on. I will be submitting Chapter 21 to the WitchingHour's Call For Papers come November, in hopes of getting a fic reading spot. Living in Massachusetts has it's advantages (Sox, sox, sox, sox...sox, sox, sox, sox...da da da dum da dum! CHARGE!).

Lastly, I want to thank my beta, my father, for helping make my story what it is. There is absolutely nothing greater than being able to go out to dinner with one's editor and talk about your story face to face.

And that's all for now. Once again, I hope you have enjoyed reading my story just as much as I've enjoyed writing. So therefore, until we meet again:

Signing off, may all your ships be fluffy, and all your fics read well.

Yours Truly,

–G.S.

A.K.A. – TGF2K


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